On May 5, 2025, the Trump administration filed a request with a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit aiming to severely limit access to mifepristone, the abortion pill. This marks the first time the Trump administration has weighed in on the case, which seeks to undo numerous regulatory changes made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in recent years that expanded access to the drug.
The court filing, submitted by the Justice Department, requests the case be dismissed on procedural grounds. It argues that the lawsuit, filed by the attorneys general of Missouri, Idaho, and Kansas, does not meet the legal requirements to be heard in the federal district court where it was filed. The filing emphasizes that the states involved do not have a legitimate connection to the Northern District of Texas, where the case is currently being heard, and as a result, the case should not proceed there.
The case centers around mifepristone, a medication that has been used for over 25 years to safely terminate pregnancies. The drug works by blocking a hormone required for pregnancy development. Mifepristone is typically followed by a second pill, misoprostol, which induces contractions that expel the pregnancy. While mifepristone is at the heart of this legal battle, the lawsuit does not seek restrictions on misoprostol, a drug that has long been used for other medical conditions but can also terminate a pregnancy on its own.
This request from the Trump administration comes at a time when political attitudes on abortion are shifting. During Trump’s first term, he and many of his officials were staunch opponents of abortion rights. However, in the aftermath of the 2024 elections, which saw the Republican Party victorious in several races, abortion rights also saw significant support. Ballot measures to protect abortion access were approved in conservative states like Missouri, and voters in Kansas, another plaintiff in the case, endorsed abortion rights in 2022. This shift in public opinion on abortion appears to have influenced Trump’s approach to the issue during his presidential campaign, where he sometimes adopted positions that conflicted with traditional conservative stances on abortion.
While the political landscape continues to evolve, the Trump administration’s legal filing is notable for its focus on procedural issues rather than the merits of the lawsuit itself. The administration’s filing reflects the same argument made by the Biden administration prior to Trump’s return to office, asserting that the case should not be heard in the Texas district court. This ongoing legal battle over mifepristone and abortion rights underscores the intense national debate surrounding reproductive healthcare and the shifting political tides in the United States.
