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Heinrich Statement on Dueling Federal Mifepristone Rulings

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the Food and Drug Administration, released the following statement on the Texas and Washington federal court decisions impacting the FDA’s approval of mifepristone: 

“Today a federal judge in Texas made an unprecedented decision to take away a woman’s right to FDA-approved medication prescribed by her medical provider. With his decision, this judge has put politics ahead of science and undermined the FDA’s ability to approve safe and effective medication - from established chemotherapy drugs to new Alzheimer’s treatments to life-saving insulin. 

Americans deserve the right to access FDA-approved medication, plain and simple. That goes for cancer treatment, diabetes medicine, and a medication abortion. Thankfully, a federal judge recognized that premise today in Washington. 

I’m a mechanical engineer; I trust science. And the law entrusts the FDA with making scientific evaluations to determine the efficacy of all prescription drugs. Our federal courts need to respect that, too.”