Texas federal judge halts US approval of abortion pill

A CONSERVATIVE federal judge in the state of Texas halted US approval of the abortion pill mifepristone yesterday, but paused implementation for a week to give federal authorities time to appeal.

The suit against the Food and Drug Administration is the latest step in the campaign to win a total ban on abortion following a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year. It takes aim at a pill involved in 53% of all abortions in the United States, or more than half a million every year.