{"id":378939,"date":"2023-12-13T14:11:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T19:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/supreme-court-to-rule-on-abortion-pill-access\/"},"modified":"2023-12-14T02:30:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T07:30:20","slug":"supreme-court-to-rule-on-abortion-pill-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/supreme-court-to-rule-on-abortion-pill-access\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court to rule on abortion pill access","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday it will review a lower-court ruling<\/a> that would restrict access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone, bringing a high-profile battle over reproductive rights back to the same court that overturned Roe v. Wade<\/a>\u00a0last year.<\/p>\n

The court will hear appeals from the Biden Administration and mifepristone developer Danco Laboratories over access and distribution of the drug. The judges won\u2019t, however, take up a request from conservative group Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which has challenged the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s 2000 approval of the medicine. That means that while the court could limit access to mifepristone, its decision won\u2019t affect the pill\u2019s standing as a marketed product.<\/p>\n

Arguments will be heard in the spring, with a decision expected by the end of June.<\/p>\n

The Biden Administration appealed to the Supreme Court after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a> ruled to restrict access to mifepristone, challenging an FDA decision in 2016 to make the drug available through online prescriptions and mail orders. The appeals court decision would also only allow use of the drug for the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from the 10-week period the FDA cleared.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The ruling, though, was stayed<\/a>\u00a0by the Supreme Court in April, upholding the status quo while the appeals process continues. The stay also halted an earlier decision by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to suspend the drug\u2019s approval<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mifepristone, also known under the brand name Mifeprex, is used in combination with another drug called misoprostol for medication abortions. The regimen is used in about half of all abortions in the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0Testing and decades of use have shown it to be broadly safe and effective<\/a> for terminating pregnancies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the case before the Supreme Court won\u2019t challenge the drug\u2019s original approval, the outcome could still have far reaching implications for the biotechnology industry. Limiting mifepristone\u2019s use would undermine the FDA\u2019s authority<\/a> for regulating and evaluating drugs, opening the door for other legal challenges in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The issue marks the latest front in the ongoing fight over reproductive rights, meanwhile. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade,\u00a0several states<\/a> have enacted partial or total abortion bans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Department of Justice continues defending the FDA\u2019s actions before the Supreme Court, President Biden and Vice President Harris remain firmly committed to defending women\u2019s ability to access reproductive care,\u201d White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement Wednesday<\/a>. \u201cWe continue to urge Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade\u2014the only way to ensure the right to choose for women in every state.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n