Court rulings on mifepristone; endocrine-disrupting chemicals

A federal judge in Texas suspended FDA approval of mifepristone, while another judge in Washington ruled to maintain access in states allowing abortion.

In response to the Texas ruling, Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and Maureen G. Phipps, MD, MPH, FACOG, chief executive officer of ACOG, said it “misrepresents medication abortion care.”

“It is inflammatory, brazenly substitutes the court’s judgment for that of trained professionals and distorts the reality of the ACOG members who compassionately provide abortion care, of the millions of patients whose health and lives have been impacted by medication abortion, and of the decades of decisive scientific data that prove its safety and efficacy,” they said in a statement. It was the top story in women’s health last week.

Another top story was about an appeals court decision to keep mifepristone available for now, but not by mail and only for abortions up to 7 weeks’ gestation.

Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:

Contradictory court rulings on mifepristone delay action on abortion drug

On April 7, a U.S. District Court judge in Texas suspended FDA approval of the abortifacient mifepristone giving the government 7 days to appeal, and a second judge in Washington ruled not to restrict the drug in states allowing abortion. Read more.

Mifepristone to remain available during appeals process

Judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of a federal court decision that would reverse FDA approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. That original decision is on hold during the appeals process. Read more.

Q&A: Impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on reproduction, pregnancy

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals have clear adverse effects on reproduction, pregnancy and fetal development in animal models. Despite difficulties in studying these chemicals in humans, experts warn that their effects are serious. Read more.

Q&A: Maternal health care disparities, distrust disproportionately affect Black women

A CDC report released in March identified a 40% increase in maternal mortality in the U.S. in 2021 compared with 2020 and a mortality rate 2.6 times higher among Black women compared with white women. Read more.

Worse pregnancy outcomes with COVID-19 at delivery

Pregnant women with COVID-19 at delivery in the U.S. experienced substantial adverse outcomes early during the pandemic, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. Read more.