U.S. abortion pill maker, doctor fight state restrictions in lawsuits

A manufacturer of abortion pills and a doctor have challenged restrictions in some U.S. states on mifepristone, the first of two-drug medication to terminate a pregnancy, in separate lawsuits.
GenBioPro Inc. filed the suit at the federal court in Huntington, West Virginia and asserted that the state has no power to overturn an approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval which allows the pills to be sold at select pharmacies.
The company that sells a generic form of mifepristone said that the Virginia’s Unborn Child Protection Act, which forbids the pill in West Virginia, “conflicts with the strong national interest in ensuring access to a federally approved medication to end a pregnancy.”
The suit cited the U.S. Constitution Supremacy Clause, which prioritises federal laws over contentious state laws.
Amy Bryant, a doctor, also sued the state of North Carolina in a separate case over limitations on buying the medication, which she claimed prevented her from treating patients.
Ms Bryant disapproved of the state’s requirement that people seeking abortions physically get the pills from designated facilities and undergo a 72-hour counselling session before doing so.
The requirements, “interfere with her ability to provide medical care to her patients according to her best medical judgement and in accordance with federal law,” according to the lawsuit filed in the federal court in Durham, North Carolina.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

States
Museum unveils memorial sculpture to immortalise Onyeama N’Eke
The National Museum of Unity, Enugu, on Wednesday unveiled a memorial sculpture and a permanent exhibition gallery in honour of Onyeama N’Eke.

Health
Kwara assembly backs malaria elimination
The Kwara House of Assembly has reaffirmed support for efforts to eradicate malaria and expand healthcare infrastructure across the state.

NationWide
Tambuwal seeks review of housing agencies, better funding for FMBN
Mr Tambuwal called for stronger funding for the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and a review of government housing policies.

States
Oyo Terrorists: Senate honours slain soldiers, teachers with N50 million donation
Senate president Godwill Akpabio, who gave the approval during the plenary on Wednesday, stated that each of the five bereaved families would receive N10 million.

Anti-Corruption
Ghanaian socialite fraudster Abu Trica faces 20 years in U.S. prison
Abu Trica has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

Health
NANNM-FHI issues 15-Day ultimatum to FG over Kaduna Hospital crisis
The nurses gave an ultimatum that, if an alleged victimisation of its members at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Barnawa, Kaduna, was not addressed by July 29.





