WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top health official mentioned Sunday {that a} court ruling threatening the provision of a major drug utilized in medication abortion was “not America” and he didn’t rule out defying the judge’s order if crucial.

“We want the courts to overturn this reckless decision,” Xavier Becerra, President Joe Biden’s well being secretary, instructed CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We want, yes, that women continue to have access to a drug that’s proven itself safe. Millions of women have used this drug around the world.”

He confused that for now, ladies do have entry to the abortion medicine mifepristone after a federal choose in Texas, Donald Trump-appointee Matthew Kacsmaryk, put his ruling from Friday on maintain for per week so federal officers might file a problem. The drug was accredited in 2000 by the Food and Drug Administration, which is overseen by the Health and Human Services Department headed by Becerra.

Biden mentioned his administration would combat the Texas ruling. Kacsmaryk’s 67-page order gave the federal government seven days to attraction.

“We intend to do everything to make sure it’s available to them not just in a week, but moving forward, period, because mifepristone is one of the safest and most effective medicines that we have seen over the last 20 years to help women with their health care, especially abortion care,” Becerra mentioned.

Asked whether or not he may suggest that the FDA ignore a ban, Becerra mentioned, “Everything is on the table.”

There is uncertainty about entry to essentially the most generally used technique of abortion within the United States following two separate and conflicting courtroom rulings in Texas and Washington over the legality of mifepristone.

Kacsmaryk’s choice ordering a maintain on federal approval of mifepristone overruled many years of scientific approval. But a ruling at practically the identical time in Washington state from that U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice, a Barack Obama appointee, directed U.S. authorities to not make any adjustments that may prohibit entry to the drug in no less than 17 states the place Democrats sued in an effort to guard availability.

Becerra mentioned Kacsmaryk’s order might have dire ramifications for the legality of any FDA-approved drug, similar to vaccines, insulin or new Alzheimer’s medicine coming onto the market as a result of it seeks to “turn upside down” your entire FDA approval course of.

The former California lawyer normal acknowledged a “good chance” that the case will finally be determined by the Supreme Court, which last year overturned Roe v. Wade and curtailed entry to abortion throughout the nation.

“If a judge decides to substitute his preference, his personal opinion for that of scientists and medical professionals, what drug isn’t subject to some kind of legal challenge? So we have to go to court,” he mentioned.

“What you saw by that one judge in that one court, in that one state, that’s not America,” Becerra added. “America goes by the evidence. America does what’s fair. America does what is transparent and we can show that what we do is for the right reasons.”