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Health secretary says he will do "everything" to keep abortion pill on the market

Xavier Becerra maintained that in Washington, all options are "on the table" after a federal judge ruled in favor of revoking the authorization of mifepristone.

Xavier Becerra, secretario de Salud.

(Gage Skidmore / Flickr)

Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

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Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra assured that the federal government will do "everything" to keep the abortion pill known as mifepristone available in the country's pharmacies after a Texas judge ruled in favor of revoking its authorization:

We intend to do everything to make sure it’s available to them not just in a week, but moving forward, period, because mifepristone is one of the safest and most effective medicines that we have seen over the last 20 years to help women with their health care, especially abortion care.

In an interview on CNN, Becerra said that in Washington all options are "on the table," although he did not elaborate on whether the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should ignore the ruling and keep the drug on the market.

Federal judge overturns pill approval

Texas federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered Thursday that the FDA's 2000 approval of the drug be overturned. That is, he issued a ruling revoking the approval of mifepristone nationwide on the grounds that the FDA violated proper procedure and failed to take into account the "negative impact" of the drug on the health of people taking it:

The FDA completely failed to consider an important aspect of the problem by omitting any assessment of the psychological effects of the drug or an evaluation of the long-term medical consequences of the drug.

Despite this, the ruling may be appealed by government officials within a period of one week.

Judge Kacsmaryk's "reckless decision"

The secretary called the order issued by Kacsmaryk a "reckless decision" and defended the measure as something "unbecoming of the United States":

We want the courts to overturn this reckless decision. We want, yes, that women continue to have access to a drug that’s proven itself safe. Millions of women have used this drug around the world. ... What you saw by that one judge in that one court, in that one state, that’s not America. America goes by the evidence. America does what’s fair. America does what is transparent and we can show that what we do is for the right reason.

Becerra also accused Kacsmaryk of wanting to impose "his preference, his personal opinion for that of scientists and medical professionals" and stated that "for the good of America and for the good of women, we have to prevail on this."

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