HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra slams abortion medication ruling, predicts higher courts will throw it out

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Sunday that he and the rest of the Biden administration expect that a federal appellate court or the Supreme Court will shoot down Friday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk that seeks to ban the abortion medication mifepristone nationwide. The Biden administration has already appealed the ruling, which argues that the Food and Drug Administration Improperly approved mifepristone 20 years ago. Kacsmaryk stayed his ruling until Friday.

Kacsmaryk — the sole federal judge in the district surrounding Amarillo, Texas, known for his anti-abortion views — is trying to ban a drug that has proved very safe and effective for two decades, and if he is allowed to "substitute his preference, his personal opinion, for that of scientists and medical professionals, what drug isn't subject to some kind of legal challenge?" Becerra said on CNN's State of the Union.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.