Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDA | Colorado legislators seek big boost in Special Education funding | Catholic hospitals no longer performing tubal ligations after Dobbs decision | Cannabis legalization seems to be okay | RJD2 is the Concert Pick of the WeekWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let’s get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDABY: LINDSEY TOOMER - JANUARY 31, 2023 3:45 AMReproductive rights advocates in Colorado were feeling optimistic following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to expand access to the abortion pill mifepristone in early January — but a federal lawsuit filed just 10 days later has made the future of medication abortions uncertain. On Jan. 3 the FDA issued a decision that allows the abortion drug mifepristone to be picked up at a pharmacy if the patient has a prescription, eliminating a previous requirement that the drug be given directly from a health care provider. Dr. Kristina Tocce, medical director at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said the FDA’s decision is a “really big breakthrough” that should increase access across the country. América Ramirez, program director for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, said it’s exciting to see expanded access and agreed it could be beneficial for people across the state, especially the Latina community. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said during a recent press conference with news reporters that the caucus is working with the Biden administration to ensure the U.S. Postal Service will be able to deliver abortion medications when prescribed by an out-of-state doctor. Karen Middleton, president of Cobalt, a Colorado-based reproductive rights advocacy organization, said the FDA’s decision will be particularly beneficial for Coloradans outside of the Denver metro area, so long as their pharmacies are willing to participate. But, she said while this is a positive step forward, there are still too many “bureaucratic and cost barriers” for those seeking abortion care.“We’ve known for years that medication abortion care is overwhelmingly safe and effective,” Middleton said in an email. “We hope that Colorado pharmacies, especially in rural areas, will make it available to patients as soon as possible and without bureaucratic delay.”But anti-abortion groups have sued to stop pharmacies from filling prescriptions for mifepristone, and the case will likely go all the way to the Supreme Court. The lawsuit argues the FDA “exceeded its regulatory authority” in approving the use of mifepristone and misoprostol to end a pregnancy, and seeks a preliminary and a permanent injunction that would remove the FDA’s approval. That would imply that Congress should decide, which is of course, dumb.Attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department said there are no examples in history where a court has second-guessed a determination from the FDA that a drug is safe and effective. Karen Middleton said the lawsuit was the anti-abortion groups’ only choice, as they “know that they’ll lose at the ballot box” since purple and red state voters repeatedly voted to protect abortion rights in 2022. “That’s why these radicals are bringing legal challenges in Federal District Courts with conservative judges — to weaponize the legal system to end legal abortion access,” Middleton said. Fawn Bolak, a spokesp