The Supreme Court of the United States has preserved access to an abortion pill that is often used, ruling that the drug can remain accessible while the legal process is going on.
The Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily preserve access to a widely used abortion pill has nullified the rulings of the lower court, which would have banned or imposed severe restrictions on the availability of this drug.
This ruling by the Supreme Court is a huge win for the Joe Biden administration.
The Joe Biden administration has been trying to preserve access to this drug since the decision by 12 U.S. states last year to outright ban abortion.
Several other states have put restrictions on abortion after a certain time period.
The fate of the drug mifepristone came into question when a Texas judge wanted to invalidate its long-standing approval after an anti-abortion group brought a lawsuit to the court.
What is mifepristone?
Mifepristone is part of a two-part drug procedure that is used for more than half of the abortions in the country.
Mifepristone is taken with another drug called misoprostol to medically terminate a pregnancy.
It is used by more than 5 million women in the United States.
The FDA approved its use more than 20 years ago after it had been under review for 4 years.
It is placed by the FDA in the category of 60 drugs that need additional restrictions and monitoring.
Mainstream medical organisations, like the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists and the WHO, have said that the drug is safe to use.
Legal proceedings continue
Texas judge Matthew Kacsmaryk had ruled to suspend the FDA’s approval of mifepristone.
He had stated that the agency was wrong in its scientific assessment of the drug.
The Justice Department of the President had filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to freeze the rulings of the lower court that would have banned or restricted the use of the drug.
A divided appeals court had said that mifepristone could remain available but only under certain restrictions.
The 5th Court of Appeals has put a limit on sending pills by mail, requiring in-person visits.
Two of the Supreme Court’s conservative members have publicly disagreed with the decision.
The Justice Department of the President has called the initial ruling of the Texas judge “a deeply misguided assessment.”
Anti-abortion advocates, who have repeatedly attacked abortion pills, are not happy with the decision.
Reaction of the people
The group that filed the initial lawsuit has said that the FDA must answer for the damage that the pill has caused to the health of countless women.
The president of the anti-abortion group Students for Life called the Supreme Court’s decision a tragedy.
She said that the supporters of abortion have used medical standards to support the interests of the abortion industry.
Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, has said that imposing restrictions on a drug that has been on the market for 20 years is too much even for the conservative Supreme Court.
Pro-choice advocates have praised the Supreme Court’s decision.
President Joe Biden has promised that he will continue to fight attacks on issues related to women’s health and defend the independence of the FDA.
Polls have repeatedly proven that the majority of Americans want to have access to safe abortion.
However, this is not the end of this legal battle; oral arguments for the case will begin in mid-May before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
