Protesters denounce ‘kangaroo court’ after high-stakes Texas abortion pill hearing

Dozens of protesters were gathered outside the JM Jones federal building in downtown Amarillo, Texas.

Holding aloft signs that read “Defend Medication Abortion” and “Not Your Uterus, Not Your Opinion”, they chanted “My body, my choice” as passing cars honked in support and court security guards looked on.

As they stood on the busy street corner, a truck sponsored by the women’s advocacy group UltraViolet circled the block, displaying a large banner reading: “A majority of Americans support abortion access. Judge Kacsmaryk, you can’t hide from us.”

The occasion for the protest was a four-hour hearing held earlier in the day by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, in a lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. The Women’s March organizers who planned the protest lamented the fact that the hearing had not been publicized until Monday evening, preventing more protesters from traveling to the remote Texas city, which is roughly an eight-hour drive from Austin and a five-and-a-half-hour drive from Dallas.

Citing threats to the court, Kacsmaryk had sought to keep the hearing secret to minimize public attention, a delay that prompted outrage from media groups who said his efforts were unconstitutional and contravened the public’s right to access highly consequential court proceedings. The controversial case could severely curtail medication abortion nationwide and throw the FDA’s authority to regulate drugs into disarray. Kacsmaryk said during Wednesday’s hearing that he would rule “as soon as possible”.

Despite the late notice, about 30 demonstrators from the Texas Panhandle and neighboring eastern New Mexico turned out.

They were eager to show that

Texans support medication abortion, but a number noted that doing so comes with social and physical risks in a deeply conservative area with lax gun laws.

“You really do have to think your job and your family,” said Harper Metcalf, a 34-year-old Amarillo resident and member of the Women’s March Amarillo, who wore sunglasses and a face mask to prevent anyone she knew who