From the ACLU, this is at Liberty. I'm Kendall Seasmeyer, your host.

Since the repeal of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, the fight for reproductive freedom has increasingly

centered on medication abortion.

The two-pill regimen allows pregnant people to safely terminate pregnancies, with medicine alone.

Since the FDA approved one of the medications used, Mifapristone, in 2000,

the method has grown to now account for 54% of abortions performed nationwide. For that reason,

anti-abortion advocates view it as a threat and are looking to take Mifapristone off of the shelves

across the United States. That's the goal behind a new lawsuit filed in November of 2022 by the Alliance Defending Freedom,

otherwise known as ADF.

The ADF is suing the FDA to rescind its approval of Mifipristone.

Now, if the suit is successful, it could drastically limit access to medication abortion across the country

and force millions of Americans seeking abortions to undergo procedures, carry unwanted pregnancies to term,

not have access to miscarriage care, and more.

This nightmare is already playing out and causing pain and trauma for people who can get pregnant

in the 12 states where abortion is banned. And this lawsuit could bring these realities to all 50

states. The stakes are so high. Here to talk with us about this dangerous lawsuit, the importance

of Miffa Pristone for reproductive health care, and how the ACLU is showing up to preserve that care nationwide is Andy Beck, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project.

Andy, thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks so much for having me.

So, Andy, I want to start by just addressing the logic of this lawsuit and try to understand how this came to be.

The Alliance Defending Freedom brought this case in 2022 to challenge the FDA's approval for Mipipristone, which the FDA approved 22 years ago in 2000.

The lawsuit argues that the FDA essentially erred in approving the drug because they say it's unsafe and because the agency, they say, did not have the authority to approve it.

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