The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new label on Wednesday that relaxed the requirements for taking medication that induces abortion, making it easier for Texans to access the so-called “abortion pill”.
“The FDA updating the label, they are basically following the evidence based protocol that physicians have been using for many years,” Heather Busby, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas said. “The FDA is now in line with what doctors had been treating their patients and so it actually makes the medical abortion more accessible to people in Texas.”
Busby said the revisions are a victory for women across the state. Under the new rules, patients receiving a medical abortion in Texas will have fewer required visits to their doctor’s office. Patients will also be able to take the medication 21 days later into a pregnancy.
“This is great for access to abortion care, especially in the first trimester,” Busby said. “Now that the label has been updated, doctors can go back to practicing medicine to the best of their ability.”
Pro-life Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) said he is ready to fight the revisions during the next legislative session.
“We as a state will review those rulings and if there is any way that the state can push back on them,” Perry said, “we will make the legislative action next session and respond accordingly.”
Wednesday’s announcement adds to an ongoing battle between Texas lawmakers and the federal government.
Later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule whether the 2013 state law, House Bill 2, places an “undue burden” on women seeking an abortion.
HB-2 requires that doctors performing abortions must have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of an abortion clinic.
“I’m hoping that sanity will prevail at that and it will actually be a clear victory for Texas,” Perry said of the U.S. Supreme Court case, Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. “But worst case scenario it is a 4-4 split and we will keep our ruling.”
According to Planned Parenthood, the number of women seeking medical abortion dropped from 40 percent to less than 1 percent in Texas after HB-2 took effect.
