At first the abortion pill appellate court ruling headlines looked somewhat positive, but then I read the fine print.

By Hal Brown, MSW, retired after 40 years of practicing psychotherapy. Formerly director of a mental health center and in psychoanalytically oriented private practice.

Here's the HUFFPOST article shown above.

I was feeling happy about yesterday's news that Justin Pearson joined his colleague Justin Jones in being returned to the Tennessee House of Representatives. This morning, could it be that I'd be reading happy news two days in a row?

I had a fleeting moment of feeling good when I saw the first part of the headline above but then reading the italicized "tighter rules" part I held my breath as I clicked to read the article.

"Tighter rules" indeed. Make that "insane rules" instead. Consider:

When the drug was initially approved in 2000, the FDA limited its use to up to seven weeks of pregnancy. It also required three in-person office visits: the first to administer mifepristone, the next to administer the second drug misoprostol and the third to address any complications. It also required a doctor’s supervision and a reporting system for any serious consequences associated with the drug.

If the appeals court’s action stands, those would again be the terms under which mifepristone could be dispensed for now.

Prior to the ruling of Texas Judge Kacsmaryk women could have the drug prescribed up to 11 weeks of pregnancy and could use Telehealth for doctor visits and have the pill sent by mail.

Just mentioned on MSNBC, previously the generic version was allowed. Now it isn't.

Women who want to terminate a pregnancy in the safest way and the doctors who now have to see a doctor three times are having to, at least for the present, go though, to say the least, a medically unnecessary hassle.

Have you tried to get into see your primary care doctor for an urgent problem recently? It's not like they have lots of free time to squeeze you in for an appointment within a week, let alone on the same day. 

This is why there are so many urgent care centers where people generally see a nurse practitioner or physician assistant who they've never seen before.

It is odd that the two Trump appointed judges who were responsible for the ruling of the three judge panel mostly likely believe that using any means to terminate a pregnancy is morally wrong and the equivalent of murder, while I would bet the farm that Donald Trump would throw a woman off a cliff if she got inconveniently pregnant with a child he wanted to get rid of.

Related: 

How the appeals court ruling makes medication abortion access more complicated, CNN

Update:

Click above to read article

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