The recent Supreme Court decision has maintained the ten-week pregnancy limit for access to mifepristone, a commonly used pill in abortions in the US. The Court upheld the conditions of access to the pill by overturning an appellate decision that sought to reinstate a series of restrictions. The nine judges, who have a conservative majority, unanimously denied the “interest in acting” of the plaintiffs – associations of doctors or practitioners who are against abortion and do not prescribe or use the pill. They annulled the appeal decision and emphasized that the fight for the right to abortion continues.
In 2016, the FDA lifted several restrictions on access to mifepristone, citing potential risks that were dismissed by scientific consensus. These risks would have reduced the pregnancy limit to seven weeks and prohibited mail delivery of the pills, requiring physical delivery exclusively by a doctor. However, an appeals court with ultraconservative judges reinstated these restrictions in 2021.
The historic 2022 judgment by the Supreme Court allowed states to legislate abortion laws more freely, leading to around twenty states either banning or strictly regulating abortion procedures. President Joe Biden has prioritized protecting the right to abortion and made it a focus of his campaign against his predecessor Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointments which reversed previous jurisprudence.
In summary, the recent Supreme Court decision upholds the ten-week pregnancy limit for access to mifepristone while continuing legal battles surrounding reproductive rights in America.
