The US Supreme Court has dismissed a bid to significantly limit access to the abortion medication mifepristone.
The court ruled that the plaintiffs, a coalition of anti-abortion doctors and advocates, lacked the legal standing to file a lawsuit.
This ruling, issued two years after the court overturned the federal right to abortion, represents a significant victory for pro-choice supporters.
Mifepristone, along with another drug, is used for medication abortions, which have become the predominant method of ending pregnancies in the US.
The group challenging the drug’s legality, known as the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, had contended that the drug’s federal approval should be revoked.
Following the court’s annulment of the federal abortion rights established by Roe v Wade in 2022, 21 states have enacted laws restricting abortions earlier than the previously set standard. Out of these, 17 states have prohibited the procedure at six weeks of pregnancy or sooner.
Medication abortion, which involves pills distributed through the mail, has emerged as a practical alternative to these restrictions.
The FDA initially authorized the two-drug protocol for use within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2000. The process starts with mifepristone to trigger an abortion, followed by misoprostol to clear the uterus.
Since 2016, the FDA has relaxed regulations on the drug, permitting virtual consultations between doctors and patients and allowing prescriptions to be mailed.
Over two decades, the FDA, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other leading medical bodies have consistently affirmed the safety of both mifepristone and misoprostol.
Research in the US indicates that medication abortion is approximately 95% effective at terminating pregnancies and less than 1% of cases require additional medical intervention.
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