The United States Supreme Court has rejected a bid by anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to abortion medication.
The Court, in a 9-0 ruling on Thursday, overturned a lower court decision that sought to roll back Food and Drug Administration (FDA) measures from 2016 and 2021 which had eased the prescribing and distribution of the drug.
Mifepristone, which received FDA approval in 2000, is used in over 60% of U.S. abortions.
The Supreme Court determined that the plaintiffs, led by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, lacked the necessary legal standing, as they failed to show direct harm linked to the FDA.
A ruling in favour of the plaintiffs could have jeopardised the FDA’s regulatory authority over drug safety.
The plaintiffs challenged the FDA’s actions, including extending the period for medication abortions to 10 weeks of pregnancy and permitting mail delivery of the drug without an in-person clinical visit.
This case is part of the broader conflict over abortion rights in the U.S. Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, numerous states have enacted measures to ban or heavily restrict abortions.
President Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election, has been a strong advocate for abortion rights, aiming to make this a key issue against Republicans in the upcoming election.
This case is the first to question the FDA’s judgment in approving drug access, and another key abortion-related ruling is expected from the Supreme Court concerning Idaho’s restrictive abortion ban.