The mifepristone abortion pill will continue to be used
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to restrict access to the mifepristone abortion pill, so this widely used drug in the United States will continue to be available.
The court ruled unanimously that the group of anti-abortion doctors who went against the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decisions to facilitate access to the abortion pill mifepristone lacked standing to sue.
As a result, the lawsuit against the use of the mifepristone abortion pill will be dismissed.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh, on behalf of the court, said in the decision that although the plaintiffs have “sincere legal, moral, ideological, and political objections to elective abortion and the FDA’s relaxed regulations on mifepristone,” that does not mean they can bring a federal case.
The plaintiffs failed to show that they suffered any harm, which means that “federal courts are the wrong forum to address their concerns about FDA’s actions,” he added.
READ MORE: U.S. EMPLOYMENT IN MAY 2024 INCREASES
In dismissing the case against the mifepristone abortion pill , the Supreme Court avoided getting into the legal merits of whether the FDA acted lawfully in lifting several restrictions on gaining access to the pill, including one that made the drug available by mail, meaning the same issues could return to the court at another time.
The mifepristone abortion pill will continue to be used
The decision means that access to the abortion pill mifepristone will continue to be allowed within 10 weeks of gestation, instead of seven weeks.
It will also continue to allow healthcare providers, not just doctors, to dispense the pill.
The ruling comes two years after the majority-conservative 6-3 court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that guaranteed a federal right to abortion, which led to a wave of restrictions on the procedure in conservative states.
At the time, the highest court implied that it was withdrawing from the political debate over abortion, but litigation over access to abortion continues to cause political and health crises, and the justices continue to play a critical role.
The mifepristone abortion pill is used as part of an FDA-approved two-drug regimen, and is now the most common form of abortion in the United States.
Abortion is banned in 14 states. according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights group.
The FDA is backed by the pharmaceutical industry, which has warned that any questioning of the approval process by inexperienced federal judges could lead to chaos and stifle drug innovation.
