The US Supreme Court reached a consensus on Wednesday to render a decision regarding limitations imposed by a lower court on a commonly utilized abortion medication. This development marked the most recent development in the ongoing dispute over reproductive rights within the United States.
The lower court’s decision has been stayed pending the nation’s highest court’s determination regarding whether or not to consider the case.
In the closely followed case, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments the following year and is anticipated to render a decision by the conclusion of June.
In August, limitations were imposed by a federal appeals court dominated by conservatives on the utilization of mifepristone, a substance that is employed in over 50% of abortions nationwide.
The three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans would prohibit the mailing of mifepristone and restrict its use to the initial seven weeks of pregnancy, as opposed to the previously established ten.
Also necessary would be a doctor’s prescription for the abortion medication.
Anti-abortion organizations are attempting to restrict mifepristone because it is hazardous, despite its extensive history of use.
During a May hearing, the three judges rejected government arguments that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which authorized mifepristone over two decades ago, should have the authority to decide whether to allow its use.
A judgment by a conservative United States District Court judge in Texas that would have prohibited mifepristone is the subject of this case.
With a 6-3 conservative majority, the Supreme Court assumed jurisdiction over the matter following the 5th Circuit Court’s restraining order against a ban on the abortion drug.
Mifepristone is currently available for purchase as the Supreme Court has maintained its accessibility in a provisional capacity, thereby halting the decisions of subordinate courts.
It is the most consequential abortion case to reach the nine-member Supreme Court since June of last year, when the court struck down the constitutional right to the procedure.
Mifepristone is permissible as a constituent of a two-drug regimen during the initial ten weeks of pregnancy.
Since its approval in 2000, approximately 5.6 million Americans have reportedly utilized it to terminate pregnancies, owing to its extensive safety record.