Supreme Court signals it’s likely to continue allowing mifepristone abortion pill access, despite challenge
The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether to maintain access to abortion pill mifepristone as it weighs a high-stakes challenge to the FDA's drug approval process.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone, with a number of justices indicating the lawsuit should be dismissed.
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, heard oral arguments on the Biden administration's appeal of lower court rulings that restricted women's access to the pill, including its availability by mail.
But during the arguments, there was little discussion of whether the Food and Drug Administration's decisions to lift restrictions on the drug were unlawful.
Instead, the justices focused on whether the group of anti-abortion doctors who brought the lawsuit even had legal standing to bring the claim. The plaintiffs, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group, argue that the FDA failed to adequately evaluate the drug’s safety risks.
But justices, both conservative and liberal, probed whether the doctors could show that they were directly injured merely because they object to abortion and could be required to give emergency room treatment to a woman suffering from serious side effects.
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