Supreme Court will hear the abortion pills case. National News

The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider whether to limit access to the drug for abortions after the term, the highest abortion decision by the high court since overturning Roe v. Wade. Is.

The case, which is scheduled for oral arguments next year, concerns the dispute over mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in the series to terminate early-stage pregnancies. In April, the Supreme Court rejected The lower court’s decision rolled back access to the drug used for abortion nationwide while the case reached the courts, while maintaining access to the pills. At that time, the justices, with two noted dissents by Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito, determined that the drug could remain on the market without restrictions while the merits of the case were considered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Was.

The Biden administration and the drug maker asked the Supreme Court to hear the case after the 5th Circuit blocked a portion of the ruling while allowing other restrictions on the drug to remain in place, arguing that the plaintiffs’ case There is no justification in this. In its order, the Supreme Court indicated that it would review recent changes in the availability of abortion pills, but not its original approval.

Mifepristone has been FDA-approved since 2000. But the agency has taken steps in recent years to expand access to the pill, such as expanding access to the drug from seven weeks to 10 weeks of pregnancy and eliminating in-person delivery requirements. Those recent policies have helped the drug become the most commonly used method of abortion in recent years.

The decision to hear the case sets up the first major abortion clash at the high court since the conservative supermajority voted last year to overturn Roe v. Wade — the landmark decision establishing the right to an abortion — when the justices argued that the issue should be Should be left to the states.

The controversy began earlier this year when a federal judge in Texas, Matthew Kaksmarick, appointed by Trump known for his conservative views, determined that the decades-old Food and Drug Administration approval of an abortion drug should be halted. Should, taking the side of the opponents. -Abortion groups argued that the agency violated federal rules allowing accelerated approval of some drugs and approved the drug, while they say the approval ignored women’s health risks.