Attorneys general in twelve Democratic-led states sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, challenging their restrictions on the distribution of mifepristone, an abortion pill, alleging that they aren’t supported by evidence.
The lawsuit which was filed in federal court in Yakima, Washington, and is led by both Washington state and Oregon, attempts to expand access to the abortion pill by allowing any doctor and pharmacy to prescribe and dispense the pill.
Doctors and pharmacies currently prescribing and dispensing the pill must get a special certification.
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said on Friday that the FDA’s restriction isn’t necessary.
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“The federal government has known for years that mifepristone is safe and effective,” Ferguson said. “In the wake of the Supreme Court’s radical decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the FDA is now exposing doctors, pharmacists and patients to unnecessary risk. The FDA’s excessive restrictions on this important drug have no basis in medical science.”
The lawsuit filed by Democratic-led states says that mifepristone is “safer than many other common drugs FDA regulates, such as Viagra and Tylenol.”
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Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont, are also included in the lawsuit. All states have Democrat attorneys general.
The lawsuit also requests that the court rule that the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill is lawful and valid, which comes as a federal judge is hearing a lawsuit from several conservative groups which argues that the drug was wrongly approved.
The FDA places special restrictions on mifepristone under a safety program that’s intended to minimize the risk of drugs that could be dangerous, but has relaxed restrictions on the drug several times. In January, the FDA allowed certified retail pharmacies to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Reuters contributed to this report.
