Status: 04/22/2023 01:15 am
In the US, access to the abortion pill mifepristone is guaranteed, at least for a short time. The Washington Supreme Court is deferring its decision on the drug pending the conclusion of the appeals process.
The US Supreme Court continues to allow access to the abortion pill mifepristone: Access to the abortion pill will remain open for the duration of the appeals process. Two conservative judges held a dissenting opinion.
The Supreme Court had previously put lower-level rulings that would ban or severely restrict the use of mifepristone on hold until midnight Friday.
Almost two weeks ago, a federal judge in the state of Texas revoked the FDA’s approval for mifepristone, which had been granted in 2000. A federal appeals court in the state of Louisiana overturned this decision, but at the same time tightened the conditions under which the pill can be prescribed.
Abortion opponents sued mifepristone approval
Mifepristone, known in Germany under the trade name Mifegyne, is used in more than every second abortion in the USA. According to the FDA, more than 5.6 million women have used the pill since it was approved in 2000. In less than 1,500 cases there were complications without a link to mifepristone being established.
Abortion opponents had sued in Texas against the approval – they want to make access to medical abortion more difficult. In particular, the religious right and large sections of the Republican Party have been trying to curtail abortion rights in the USA for decades.
Last year, the Supreme Court overturned the country’s abortion law, which had been in effect for almost 50 years. According to surveys, a majority of the population supports this right.