AOC and Democrats vs. Republicans: A Battle Over Latest Abortion Development Is Getting Tough – It’s a brouhaha over abortion, with Democrats and Republicans at each other’s throats.
This time it has to do with the abortion pill mifepristone. A lawsuit was filed by abortion opponents to force the FDA to stop its approval of the drug. A federal judge had previously signed an injunction to stop the availability of the pharmaceutical.
What Is the Latest Development? AOC Says Ignore the Law
Democrats, sensing another court ruling that would limit a woman’s right to an abortion were steaming mad. They are led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a steadfast abortion rights supporter, who told the Biden administration to “ignore” the ruling. She said that some federal judges are adamantly political and are not working as objective referees when it comes to deciding key aspects of abortion.
AOC said that judges had “engaged in unprecedented and dramatic erosion of the legitimacy of the courts.” She believes that the White House can choose whether to abide by the judge’s ruling.
The Courts Are Unfair, According to Democrats
Another Democrat lawmaker, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon also said the Biden administration should not enforce U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice’s desires. Wyden said the ruling was “rooted in conservatives’ dangerous and undemocratic takeover of our country’s institutions.”
Republicans AGs Are Ready to Fight
Then nine Republican attorneys general fired back against AOC and Democrats. This group thinks the possibility of non-compliance with the judge’s order is unconstitutional. They want AOC and Wyden to either retract their statements or resign. The GOP attorneys general wrote a letter to the Democrats telling them that they were trying to “overthrow the Constitution” and were acting to defy the rule of law.
Fox News was able to review a copy of the letter. “Expressing mere disagreement with a court order, as all attorneys have done, is nothing like your call for the FDA not to comply with a court order. The difference between the two is enormous. For a party to defy a court order simply because one does not like it is an attack on our very system of government and the rule of law,” the missive said.
What Is Mifepristone?
Mifepristone goes by the brand names Korlym and Mifeprex. It must be prescribed by a doctor. Taken in tablet form, it can abort a pregnancy that is less than ten weeks in duration. According to the FDA, “Mifepristone is a drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue.” It has been approved in the United States since 2000.
The original lawsuit is winding its way through the courts. Conservative groups who brought the suit wanted the drug approval to be suspended by the FDA. They maintain that it should be removed from the approval list.
Another judge, Trump-appointed Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, also signed an injunction which tells the FDA to stop the approval of mifepristone. Pro-abortion attorneys general from Democratic states filed a lawsuit to challenge this ruling. President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice will be appealing the two anti-abortion rulings. The DOJ wants the courts to issue a stay on the injunction.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA’s scientific judgment and protect Americans’ access to safe and effective reproductive care.”
Abortion has long been a battleground between individuals and groups who duke it out. This usually breaks down by party. These developments are noteworthy since Democrats are calling on the Biden administration to ignore rulings and not respect the rule of law. The left would say that the courts have over-stepped their bounds and are taking vital civil rights away from women. Thus, this is a time for drastic measures. There will likely be no let-up in this showdown that has turned into a blood feud between Democrats and Republicans with AOC in the mix. Various judges may not be able to stop the fight.
MORE: Video – Ukraine Has Massive New NATO ‘Cannon’ Ready To Fight Russia
MORE: ‘Americans Will Pay The Price’: One Democrat Is Angry At Joe Biden
MORE: Could Joe Biden Get Impeached?
Author Expertise and Experience
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
