Supreme Court Pauses Restrictions on Abortion Pill Mifepristone

The US Supreme Court has temporarily halted a ruling that set limits on access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

The pause ordered by Justice Samuel Alito is the latest move in an ongoing legal battle over the drug’s safety.

Last week, a Texas court had ordered the drug to be pulled off the market.

A lower appeals court responded to the Texas ruling by keeping the drug available, but with conditions.

The restrictions included barring patients from receiving it by mail, and shortening the window for mifepristone’s approved use, from up to 10 weeks of pregnancy to seven. They were set to take effect on Saturday.

But on Friday, Justice Alito, a conservative, halted the restrictions until right before midnight on 19 April, after the Biden administration asked the Supreme Court to restore full access to the abortion drug mifepristone.

The delay will give justices more time to review the case. Justice Alito asked that additional briefing material be filed by 18 April.

Mifepristone is used in more than half of all US abortions, and the ongoing case about its safety has nationwide ramifications not only for millions of women, but also on the future of drug approvals.

The drug was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more than 20 years ago. It is part of a two-drug regimen that induces abortions – it effectively stops the pregnancy, while the second drug, misoprostol, empties the uterus.

On 8 April, Texas court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled the FDA had violated federal rules that allowed for the accelerated approval of some drugs, and had erred in its scientific assessment of the drug.

The appeals court then put a hold on the Texas ruling, but also imposed additional limits on the drug.

In response, the US Department of Justice asked the country’s top court to strike down the limitations, writing in its appeal that the Texas ruling would lead to “regulatory chaos” for the approval of drugs.

Experts say the legal fight will have far-reaching implications for both abortion access and drug regulation in the United States.

Credit: BBC

Damilare Abass