In a decision that may limit access to the drug worldwide, a judge in Texas is debating whether to allow the sale of a regularly used abortion pill in the US.
Mifepristone, a tablet that can be taken at home, is used to end pregnancies in more than half of cases in the US.
An anti-abortion group claims in a Texas complaint that the drug’s safety was never adequately investigated.
Since more than 20 years ago, the medicine has been permitted for usage.
The case, which will be resolved by US president Donald Trump appointee Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, comes after the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision to reject the constitutional right to abortion last year.
The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, an anti-abortion group, filed a lawsuit in Texas alleging that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone without doing sufficient testing.
In response to the case, the administration of President Joe Biden has argued that the drug’s approval was well supported by research.
