The J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and the Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, where US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will decide a lawsuit over the abortion drug mifepristone.
Justin Rex/AP
hide title
toggle title
Justin Rex/AP
The J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and the Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, where US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will decide a lawsuit over the abortion drug mifepristone.
Justin Rex/AP
Court officials in Amarillo, Texas, released the transcript of this week’s closely watched hearing in a federal lawsuit that could curb nationwide access to a drug used in nearly all medical abortions in the US. USA
Only a few dozen members of the public and the media were allowed inside the small courtroom presided over Wednesday by US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who has long-standing ties to conservative groups. The judge heard four hours of testimony from lawyers for a coalition of anti-abortion groups called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which is challenging the drug’s approval, and from government lawyers representing the Food and Drug Administration.
Recording in the courtroom was also prohibited, so this transcript is the first opportunity for most members of the public to learn first-hand what was said.
Kacsmaryk initially delayed announcing the hearing date, according to a report by the washington post, but released that information on Monday in response to pressure from media organizations. The delay forced a scramble to try to get to Amarillo in time to be inside the courtroom.
The judge eventually allowed a live audio broadcast of the hearing inside a federal courtroom in Dallas, but recordings were not allowed and the broadcast was not made available to the public.
The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000 for use in combination with a second drug to terminate pregnancies in the first trimester. Opponents of abortion have questioned the approval process for the drug, which medical groups say has a long tradition. security record.
Kacsmaryk could order the drug to be withdrawn from the market, or take a variety of other steps to restrict it. Whatever the outcome, an appeal is widely expected.
