while drug makers are now backing the FDA in a nationwide battle over an abortion pill ruling senior Executives at more than 400 pharmaceutical and biotech companies signed a scathing letter on Monday condemning the ruling by a Texas federal judge suspending FDA approval of the pill mifepristone one of the medications used in abortion procedures calling for the decision to be reversed saying it quote ignores science and in a new court filing Monday Attorneys General in 23 States including New Jersey and the District of Columbia warned this ruling presents quote devastating risks to millions of people well the Texas order goes into effect at midnight on Friday unless an appeals court sides with the justice department in blocking the decision Melissa Rose Cooper reports on the potential impact in New Jersey we as medical providers don't want junk science coming in to tell us how we are able to care for the patients that need us Roxanne satoki is outraged over the recent decision by a federal judge in Texas blocking the usage of mifepristone mifepristone, the drug is the first of a two-step regimen in most medical abortions it's also used in miscarriage care this isn't just a threat to medication abortion access it's really undermines the way that our government is meant to function never before has one Court um you know taken on the FDA and a decision that has been made or over 20 years ago the FDA processed into approving a drug is very thorough um and they require a lot of information before they're going to put um any prescription medication out there and the fact that you've now had an additional 23 years with very very minimal um you know negative um results or negative effects out of it it's more of a I think it becomes more of a political discussion unfortunately um as opposed to a a patient care discussion regardless of how you feel about abortion one way or another right now the drug misoprostol is given in the second step of a medical abortion if mifepristone is ultimately banned by court order patients would only be allowed to take misopristol we're prepared to be able to still provide procedural or in clinic abortions as well as medication abortions but they'll look different they'll need a different regimen um using a single medication and they will likely take longer and just be more physically demanding on the patient and so we're anticipating that many patients will will choose to then in fact do a procedural abortion um which just you know obviously changes uh timing and Staffing and just managing um the demand for services a great concern for Dr Kristen Brandy who says more than half of abortions conducted are with a pill this is going to have a broad impact on a lot of people both here in our state and across the country it also is something that has been a big tool in helping people access care that otherwise wouldn't have so people that can't travel long distances to go to a clinic in person can get this care via telemedicine people that you know don't want to undergo a procedure have a great option in medication abortion and while misoprystal is still being allowed there are some concerns it too could face a possible ban also our standard of care for induction of Labor and so I I worry because you know I don't want any medication to be off label or to not be able to use even though we have great data um but we don't really know what's going to happen next as of right now mifepristone mifepristone is still available in New Jersey on until the fda's appeal to the fifth Circuit Court in Louisiana is decided but the Department of Justice is now asking the court to render its decision by Thursday one day before the ban is scheduled to go into effect for NJ Spotlight news I'm Melissa Rose Cooper [Music]