- Supreme Court temporarily blocks restrictions placed on abortion pill mifepristone at least until Friday
- The ruling comes amid a legal challenge by anti-abortion groups arguing against the drug's federal regulatory approval
- President Joe Biden and mifepristone manufacturer Danco Laboratories requested to block the April 7 preliminary injunction that Kacsmaryk issued
The United States Supreme Court has temporarily ordered to keep access to abortion pill mifepristone by at least until Friday, curbing restrictions set forth by lower courts.
On Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito ruled that the temporary block on mifepristone was extended by two days. This comes as anti-abortion groups are legally challenging the authorization granted to the drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion Pill
Alito's decision to hold the ruling on the abortion pill gives the court's justices more time to consider requests made by United States President Joe Biden's administration and the manufacturer of the pill, Danco Laboratories. As per Reuters, they called for a block to an April 7 preliminary injunction that US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas issued.
If allowed to move forward, Kacsmaryk's decision would have significantly restricted access to the abortion pill. The Biden administration now seeks to defend the drug amid several bans and restrictions enacted by Republican-led states.
The situation comes after the Supreme Court in June 2022 voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, removing the Constitutional right to abortion across the nation. Now, the White House is ready to face a long legal battle regarding the issue, said Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
The FDA is responsible for signing off on the safety of various food products, drugs, and medical devices. The agency approved using mifepristone in 2000, and the recent case could undercut the drug's federal approval over safety concerns.
A New Orleans 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling also allowed the drug to stay but upheld restrictions on its availability. According to Al Jazeera, these standards would only allow mifepristone to be used up to seven weeks of pregnancy and not the ten weeks that the FDA previously approved.
Access to Mifepristone
Additionally, the drug was banned from being sent via mail, and patients were required to make three in-person doctor visits before they were given the medication. These hurdles were factors that the FDA's guidelines lifted in an attempt to provide greater access to the abortion pill.
Alito's latest ruling is expected to raise tensions as Republican lawmakers are working to restrict abortion access. The situation comes as the Supreme Court has a six-to-three conservative majority.
Typically, medication abortion is a two-drug regimen that is used in the first 12 weeks of a woman's pregnancy. Mifepristone is the first drug in the series and blocks progesterone, a hormone that allows pregnancy to develop.
The second pill is misoprostol, taken one or two days after mifepristone and is responsible for prompting contractions and assisting the uterus to expel its contents, said the New York Times.
