A federal judge in Texas overturned the two-decade-old approval of a safe and effective abortion pill on Friday, the latest volley in a conservative battle against reproductive rights in the United States.

If it stands, the ruling by a Donald Trump appointee would reverse permission granted by the Food and Drug Administration for a drug widely used to terminate unwanted pregnancies.

But, in an illustration of how deep the fracture on abortion runs in US society, a judge in Washington state moments later ruled in a separate case that access to the drug must be preserved in more than a dozen states.

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“The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the decision… and will be appealing the court’s decision and seeking a stay pending appeal,” he said.

Kacsmaryk’s ruling came after a coalition of anti-abortion groups sued to freeze the national distribution of mifepristone.

“The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the decision… and will be appealing the court’s decision and seeking a stay pending appeal,” he said.

Kacsmaryk’s ruling came after a coalition of anti-abortion groups sued to freeze the national distribution of mifepristone.

While he stayed the FDA’s 23-year-old approval, he also halted the “applicability of this opinion and order for seven days” to allow time for appeals.

Anti-abortion groups hailed the move.