Texas Judge Allows Idaho, Kansas, Missouri to Challenge FDA's Mifepristone Rules, Seeking 7-Week Limit and In-Person Visits

Jan 17, 2025, 02:00 AM

A federal judge in Texas, Matthew Kacsmaryk, has ruled that three Republican-led states—Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri—can proceed with their lawsuit aimed at restricting access to the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide. The states are challenging the federal Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) rules that allow telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone and permit its use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. They seek to limit its use to the first seven weeks and require three in-person doctor visits to obtain the drug. The lawsuit follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision that found previous challengers lacked standing to sue, but Kacsmaryk's ruling allows these states to continue their legal efforts, arguing that the current FDA regulations undermine state abortion laws and hinder law enforcement efforts.