Supreme Court agrees to take up case on abortion drug access

The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Wednesday to hear the Biden administration’s appeal to a lower court ruling that aimed to tighten restrictions on mifepristone. The administration and drugmaker Danco are defending the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines for its prescription. Lawyers from Alliance Defending Freedom represent a group of pro-life doctors challenging the FDA’s approval of the drug. ADF argued that the FDA overlooked the safety risks posed by mifepristone.

What is the history of the case? A federal judge in Texas released a court order in April to end the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. The U.S. Supreme Court halted the order from taking effect and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in August overturned part of the order. The appellate court left intact the part of the ruling that prevented the drug from being delivered in the mail. Also left intact were parts that required mifepristone to be administered in the presence of a physician and that only allowed access up to the seventh week of pregnancy instead of the tenth. 

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in WORLD Magazine about how pro-life groups are fighting the expansion of abortion pill access.