Appeals Court Upholds Restrictions on Abortion Pill; Planned Supreme Court Appeal
A U.S. appeals court has ruled to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The court ordered a ban on telemedicine prescriptions and shipments of the drug by mail, but the ruling will not immediately take effect. The Biden administration plans to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the ruling will not be implemented until the Supreme Court reviews it. The court’s decision stems from a lawsuit brought by anti-abortion groups and doctors who argue that the FDA improperly approved mifepristone in 2000 and did not adequately consider its safety for minors. The three judges on the panel are conservative, and while one judge wanted to pull mifepristone off the market completely, the majority rolled back recent FDA actions that made the drug more accessible. Critics argue that the FDA’s independence and mifepristone’s approval are at risk. The medication is commonly used in medication abortions, and medical associations warn that removing it from the market would harm patients.
