A Florida woman is facing charges for allegedly threatening a Texas federal judge who suspended approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.
Alice Pence placed a call to the chambers of a federal judge in Amarillo, Texas, in March and threatened to kill him, according to charging documents obtained by the Associated Press.
Though he was not named in the indictment, the only federal judge in Amarillo is U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.
In April, Kacsmaryk ordered a hold on FDA approval of mifepristone, effectively banning the drug. His ruling came nearly a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reducing access to abortion across the country.
However, Kacsmaryk's order is on hold while the Biden administration appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court -- and mifepristone remains available.
Mifepristone is currently approved by the FDA for medical abortions up to 10 weeks into pregnancy. The drug is in a class called antiprogestational steroids and it works by blocking the activity of progesterone, a substance that helps sustain pregnancy.
The estimated number of women who have used mifepristone in the U.S. for medical termination of pregnancy since the drug's approval in Sept. 2000 through the end of June 2022 is approximately 5.6 million, according to the FDA.
Pence is charged with transmitting a threatening interstate communication and influencing a federal official by threat.