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A federal judge in Texas publicly disclosed Monday afternoon that he scheduled a hearing in a case seeking to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, after media outlets criticized him for attempting to keep the proceedings secret until the last minute. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. Northern District of Texas ordered oral arguments in the case to take place on Wednesday at 9 a.m. CT, according to a court filing. The hearing will take place in Amarillo, Texas. (Kimball, 3/13)

If Kacsmaryk orders the FDA to rescind its approval of mifepristone, the process could take months, and it would not mark the end of medication abortion in the U.S. Instead, patients could use misoprostol alone, which studies show is between 80% to 100% effective and is recommended by the World Health Organization as a safe and effective alternative. To use misoprostol only, a total of 12 pills are taken in three doses every three hours. (Quinn, 3/14)

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday warned that if anti-abortion advocates are successful in banning a key abortion pill, "extremists and politicians" could go after any medication they do not like. "Think about what this means if extremists and politicians can override an FDA approval," Harris said. "The implications in terms of public health policy are profound." (Wermund, 3/13)

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the news has been full of stories about patients crossing state lines in order to access reproductive care. What often gets left out is the accompanying confusion created by abortion restrictions. (Boodman, 3/14)