The Biden administration is urging the Supreme Court to reconsider a lower-court ruling that would limit access to the key abortion pill, mifepristone, much used in early pregnancies.
The appeal to Supreme Court: Biden’s administration, through a petition from the Justice Department, campaigned for the Supreme Court to reconsider the ruling on mifepristone restricting its use past seven weeks of pregnancy or via telemedicine.
* The Justice Department argued that the abortion pill is many women’s “best method” to terminate early pregnancies.
* Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, similarly filed a petition asking the court to reverse the decision.
Implications of the ruling: If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, mifepristone will likely remain available until the court reaches a decision, possibly in 2024.
* However, if the court allows the 5th Circuit’s decision to stand, access to the abortion pill could be dramatically reduced nationwide.
About mifepristone: Approved in 2000 by the FDA, mifepristone, which is the first of a two-pill regimen, now accounts for more than half of all abortions performed in the U.S.
* Last year, anti-abortion rights groups filed a lawsuit arguing the FDA improperly approved the abortion pill.
The opposing views: Abortion-rights opponents argue that the federal agency ignored safety risks with the abortion pill.
* On the other hand, the Justice Department argued that those claims were speculative and false, adding that there’s no evidence to suggest that expanding access to mifepristone increased the number of women who suffered from complications after taking the abortion pill.
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