The Trump administration’s long-awaited decision to defend abortion pills in court has enraged anti-abortion leaders — further straining President Donald Trump’s relationship with the movement.
Justice Department attorneys said in a recent court filing in Missouri v. FDA that the case should not continue on procedural grounds. The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the original case, brought by a coalition of anti-abortion groups, because they lacked standing. The states of Missouri, Idaho and Kansas have since taken over the case and filed it in the U.S. Northern District Court of Texas, where it is being reviewed by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who is viewed as friendly to the anti-abortion movement.
The Trump administration inherited the case from the Biden administration and is essentially making the same argument as Biden — that the plaintiffs lack standing. But Trump’s DOJ isn’t arguing that mifepristone is safe and effective — Biden’s DOJ did — and is open to future challenges against the pill.