Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said that “everything is on the table” in the wake of a decision by a federal judge to order the Food and Drug Administration to suspend its approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.
Becerra would not rule out ignoring the ruling by the court if it is not overturned, while speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
DEMOCRATS CRITICAL OF COLLEAGUES TELLING BIDEN TO IGNORE COURTS ON ABORTION PILL DECISION
“Everything is on the table. The president said that way back when the Dobbs decision came out, every option is on the table,” Becerra said.
When asked specifically if the FDA would follow the ruling by the judge, Becerra pushed for continued access to the drug.
“We want the courts to overturn this reckless decision,” Becerra said.
When asked if he has confidence that the Supreme Court would rule in the FDA’s favor, should the case reach the high court, Becerra said he is confident but also admitted he can not control what they may decide.
Becerra also asserted that the Texas judge’s ruling was “not America,” saying the country does what is fair, transparent, and backed by the evidence.
“This is not America. What you saw by that one judge in that one court in that one state that’s not America. America goes by the evidence. America does what’s fair. America does what is transparent, and we can show that what we do is for the right reasons.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who appeared on CNN after Becerra, praised the Biden administration’s actions regarding the court ruling after previously saying the FDA should ignore the ruling.
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A federal judge in Texas ordered FDA approval of mifepristone be halted on Friday, which will effectively ban the sale of the abortion pill. The court-ordered halt will not go into effect for a week.
The Biden administration has appealed the ruling, arguing the decision “overturns the FDA’s expert judgment,” setting the stage for a lengthy legal battle over the pill.
