Mifepristone Maker To Seek FDA OK For Use Of Drug To Treat Miscarriages
The Wall Street Journal reports that Danco, the pharmaceutical company that makes mifepristone under the label Mifeprex, plans to apply for FDA approval for use of the drug in managing miscarriages. If approved the drug could become more widely available, when its use is already under legal challenge as part of a medication abortion protocol.
The Wall Street Journal:
Exclusive | Abortion Pill Maker Is Seeking To Expand Its Use To Miscarriage
The drugmaker responsible for bringing the controversial abortion pill to the U.S. is now pursuing a new use that could widen women’s access: treating miscarriages. Danco Laboratories is preparing scientific data and taking other steps to ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve use of the abortion pill regimen Mifeprex for management of miscarriages, according to people familiar with the matter. (Essley Whyte, 10/8)
The Texas Tribune:
Study Shows Texas’ Abortion Ban Is Straining The OB/GYN Pool
Texas’ new abortion laws are stressing the state’s already beleaguered OB/GYN workforce, and threatening the pipeline of new doctors that would help provide relief, a new survey shows. More than 70% of practicing OB/GYNs in Texas feel the near-total ban has negatively impacted their work, prohibiting them from providing high quality, evidence-based care for their patients, according to survey results released Tuesday. (Klibanoff, 10/8)
In election updates about abortion —
AP:
Democrats Hope The Latest Court Rulings Restricting Abortion Energize Voters As Election Nears
Two court rulings this week have delivered major blows to reproductive rights in Texas and Georgia but, during a crucial time in the election cycle, Democrats are seizing on them in an attempt to energize voters who support abortion access. Advocates hope the rulings will serve as reminders about what’s at stake in a post-Roe America just weeks before a presidential election that has been partly defined by competing visions of abortion rights and the sometimes harrowing consequences for women living in states with abortion bans. (Fernando, 10/8)
The Hill:
Donald Trump's Stance On Abortion Raises Questions For Evangelicals
Former President Trump’s softening stance on reproductive health has raised questions about his standing with white evangelical voters, a key part of his coalition dating back to 2016. Last week, the former president said he would veto a national abortion ban if elected, while his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), said the GOP needed to regain voters’ trust on the issue. Former first lady Melania Trump went even further, emphatically voicing her support for abortion rights. (Manchester, 10/8)
Miami Herald:
Florida threatens to prosecute TV stations over abortion ad. FCC head calls it ‘dangerous’
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is threatening to criminally prosecute Florida television stations if they do not stop running a political advertisement featuring a brain cancer patient who supports a November ballot measure that would broaden access to abortion in Florida. But nearly a week after the state warned TV stations to pull the ad, the commercial is still running, and attorneys representing a political committee sponsoring the abortion ballot measure have issued a defiant legal letter in which they call the administration’s effort an “unconstitutional state action.” (Healy and Ceballos, 10/8)
The Hill:
Audio Reveals Montana GOP Senate Candidate Comments On Abortion, Youth Voters
Montana GOP Senate nominee Tim Sheehy said young women are “single-issue voters” on abortion and young voters are “indoctrinated” to support liberal causes, according to audio of the candidate speaking at campaign events last year. ... These newly reported comments concern abortion, which has been a rallying issue for supporters of abortion rights and a potential vulnerability for Republicans following the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. (Gans, 10/8)
In LGBTQ+ news —
NPR:
LGBTQ+ Women Face High Rates Of Trauma, Other Mental Health Issues, Report Finds
A leading national survey finds that 22% of LGBTQ+ women respondents have attempted suicide, and 66% reported seeking treatment for trauma. “The trauma burden in this community is enormous,” said Jaime Grant, one of the researchers who conducted the survey. (Roldan, 10/8)
The New York Times:
3% Of American High Schoolers Identify As Transgender, First National Survey Finds
About 3.3 percent of high school students identify as transgender and another 2.2 percent are questioning their gender identity, according to the first nationally representative survey on these groups, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. Transgender and gender-questioning teenagers reported alarmingly higher rates of bullying at school, persistent sadness and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, according to the survey, which was carried out in 2023. (Ghorayshi, 10/8)
