Controversial Abortion Pill Ruling Sparks Legal and Political Debate.

A federal judge in Washington state has ruled that the FDA cannot restrict access to abortion pills in 17 states and the District of Columbia, regardless of conflicting orders issued in other federal courts. The availability of mifepristone, used for medication abortion, hinged on dueling court decisions. The Washington state ruling applies in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington state. The Alliance of Hippocratic Medicine, the coalition of anti-abortion groups that brought the lawsuit challenging the FDA's mifepristone approval, has been accused of "court shopping" by filing its case in Amarillo, Texas.