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US: Health Secretary criticizes judge’s abortion ruling

US: Health Secretary criticizes judge's abortion ruling
Photo: AP

April 10 |

The top U.S. health official said Sunday that a court ruling threatening the availability of an abortion pill is “not America” and did not rule out challenging the judge’s orders if necessary.

“We want the courts to overturn this irresponsible ruling,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“We do want women to continue to have access to a drug that has been proven safe. Millions of women have used this drug around the world,” he added.

He emphasized that for now, women do have access to mifepristone after a federal judge in Texas appointed by then-President Donald Trump, Matthew Kacsmaryk, on Friday put his ruling on hold for a week so the federal government could file a motion against it. The drug was approved in 2000 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services, which Becerra heads.

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President Joe Biden has stated that his administration will oppose the Texas ruling. Kacsmaryk’s 67-page ruling gives the government seven days to appeal.

“Our intention is to do everything we can to keep the drug accessible, not just a week from now but ultimately going forward, because mifepristone is one of the safest and most effective drugs we’ve seen in the last 20 years to help women in their health care, especially in care related to an abortion,” Becerra said.

Asked whether he might recommend that the FDA ignore a court ruling, Becerra replied, “Everything is on the table.”

There is uncertainty about the abortion pill, the most common method of abortion in the United States, because of two conflicting court rulings – one in Texas and one in Washington – on the legality of mifepristone.

The Kacsmaryk decision, ordering a pause to official approval of mifepristone, contradicted decades of scientific recommendations. But a near-simultaneous ruling by Judge Thomas O. Rice in Washington, a Barack Obama appointee, orders authorities not to make any changes that would restrict access to the drug in at least 17 states where Democrats filed lawsuits to ensure such access.

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Becerra said Kacsmaryk’s ruling could have dire repercussions for the legality of any FDA-approved drug – such as insulin or Alzheimer’s drugs – as it seeks to “turn upside down” the entire FDA approval process.

Becerra acknowledged that there is “a good chance” that the case will end up being decided in the Supreme Court, which last year overturned Roe v. Wade, which gave women the right to decide about their pregnancy.

“If a judge decides to place his or her judgment or preference over the opinion of health professionals, what drug will be exempt from any court challenge? That is why we have to go to court,” Becerra said.

In an appearance after Becerra on CNN, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, stated that “it’s important that we take care of women” and “have real discussions about women’s health care” but “you have to get out of this abortion conversation. Women have a lot of other issues that have nothing to do with abortion. … Let’s talk about other things that are going on in this world.”

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Fire in India’s Jhansi Hospital kills 10 newborns

At least 10 newborns have died following a fire in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Jhansi, India, which was attributed to a faulty oxygen machine, authorities reported on Saturday, adding that 39 babies were rescued.

“Unfortunately, 10 infants have died,” said Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, regarding the fire that occurred on Friday night.

The fire started at 10:30 PM (17:00 GMT) at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical University in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The rescued babies, all only a few days old, were moved to another area of the hospital for treatment.

Dr. Narendra Senga, the director of a medical faculty attached to the hospital, also confirmed the death toll of 10 infants.

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International

Seven british citizens arrested in Spain for hashish trafficking 1.2 tons seized

Seven British citizens were arrested in Spain for hashish trafficking in an operation that led to the seizure of 1.2 tons of the drug, which is made from cannabis resin, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported on Saturday.

“National Police agents, in collaboration with the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK, have dismantled an organization allegedly dedicated to transporting drugs in trucks in Marbella and Elche,” the ministry stated in a press release.

“Agents seized 1,200 kilos of hashish and arrested seven British citizens,” the report specified.

The drugs were found in Marbella and Fuengirola, in southern Spain, as well as in Elche, in the southeastern region.

Part of the hashish was hidden in “large plastic barrels filled with fine mortar sand.”

In addition, the police seized over €63,000 in cash, five passenger vehicles, and a heavy-duty truck.

All of the detainees have been placed in pretrial detention.

Spain serves as the gateway for most of the hashish sold in Europe, due to its proximity to North Africa, the main production area.

In 2022, Spain seized 324.7 tons of hashish, according to the latest available official annual data.

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International

Sinaloa cartel network dismantled in Spain following kidnapping and ransom incident

Fourteen members of the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel were arrested in Spain following an investigation that began with the kidnapping and murder of an associate, the Spanish National Police announced on Sunday.

“The dismantled criminal network, based in Catalonia, is allegedly involved in the kidnapping and death of a man whose body was found in a wooded area of the region,” explained the National Police in a statement. The victim had traveled from Italy to meet with some of the leaders of the gang.

The criminal organization was “mainly composed of Mexican individuals” and was “linked to the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.”

The victim, a 46-year-old man, was allegedly working for the organization and had traveled to Barcelona from Italy to meet with leaders of the criminal network. The kidnapping took place between late May and June, and the victim’s family in Kosovo alerted the police after receiving a ransom demand of €240,000 (approximately $253,000). The family paid part of the ransom, $32,000 in cryptocurrency.

The victim’s body, whose nationality was not disclosed, was found in August in a forest, showing signs of violence and in an advanced state of decomposition.

The arrested individuals are allegedly connected to drug trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping, and murder. They received packages from Mexico containing methamphetamine soaked into pieces of clothing, which were sent to Catalonia. Once in Spain, they extracted the drug in a laboratory they operated.

The Sinaloa cartel is named after the northwestern Mexican state where it was founded and remains one of the most important criminal organizations in the world, despite the incarceration of two of its historic leaders, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, in the United States.

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