The United States supreme court, on Friday, upheld women’s access to Mifepristone, an abortion pill.
Mifepristone is taken in combination with a second drug called misoprostol to end an intrauterine pregnancy at ten weeks gestation (70 days or less since the first day of a patient’s last menstrual period).
A federal judge in Texas had ruled to suspend the drug from the market entirely and an appeal court had imposed significant barriers on the pill, including blocking access by mail.
The supreme court order grants a stay on any restrictions, as an appeal moves forward.
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The order grants a ‘temporary’ victory to President Joe Biden and mifepristone’s manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, which had appealed the lower courts’ rulings.
Biden, in a statement, said he continues to support evidence-based approval of the drug and continue to fight attacks against women’s health.
“As a result of the Supreme Court’s stay, mifepristone remains available and approved for safe and effective use while we continue this fight in the courts. I continue to stand by FDA’s evidence-based approval of mifepristone, and my administration will continue to defend FDA’s independent, expert authority to review, approve, and regulate a wide range of prescription drugs,” the statement reads.
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“The stakes could not be higher for women across America. I will continue to fight politically-driven attacks on women’s health. But let’s be clear – the American people must continue to use their vote as their voice, and elect a Congress who will pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v Wade.”
Friday’s decision is likely to leave mifepristone access unchanged for months as legal appeals continue to weigh its federal approval.
In July 2022, the supreme court overturned Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 ruling, that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion in the US.
Courtesy of the reversal of the law, US states are now allowed to determine their own abortion laws as they deem fit.
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