The US Supreme Court’s recent decision on Wednesday did not provide complete access to mifepristone, a widely-used abortion pill. Instead, it granted temporary access until Friday midnight for people across the United States. This move extends the access that was granted on April 14, reversing a Texas court’s ruling that had effectively banned its use throughout the United States.
Mifepristone is responsible for more than half of all abortion pills consumed in the United States. The US Supreme Court did not comment on the case’s merits, but the extension provides the court with more time to decide on the divisive case. This case is the most significant one on reproductive rights since the constitutional right to abortion was eliminated last year.
A lower court had almost banned the use of mifepristone, prompting the US Justice Department to file an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court. Federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas overturned the regulatory approval granted to mifepristone twenty years ago, leading to a nationwide ban. Kacsmaryk also directed authorities to stop patients from receiving the pills by mail.
More than 700 pharmaceutical executives signed an open letter calling for Kacsmaryk’s decision to be reversed, arguing that it ‘ignores decades of scientific evidence and legal precedent.’
The case involves the regulatory approval of abortion pills that include mifepristone, a significant ingredient. It has become a legal flashpoint in the United States, where abortion rights have polarized electoral politics. This case comes amid an ongoing battle over abortion rights in the country after the Supreme Court overturned Roe Vs. Wade, a ruling that granted US citizens the constitutional right to abortion for almost five decades.
The US Supreme Court will decide whether US citizens will be able to access mifepristone-containing abortion pills beyond Friday.
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