Reproductive rights groups celebrated Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a lawsuit restricting access to a widely used abortion pill.
Back in 2000, the federal Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone, which is prescribed in two-thirds of all abortions in the US and is a safer option for many people, according to doctors. The medication is part of a two-step abortion pill that is more accessible to women and can be mailed to their homes.
Drug manufacturer Danco Laboratories, which fought to defend the pill, said the ruling was a huge win for the pharmaceutical industry.
The court “maintained the stability of the FDA drug approval process, which is based on the agency’s expertise and on which patients, healthcare providers and the US pharmaceutical industry rely,” Danco spokeswoman Abigail Long said in a statement.
The lawsuit was originally brought to court by conservative doctors and anti-abortion groups that wanted to make mifepristone less accessible. However, the Supreme Court ruled that they lacked the standing to sue, making this a major setback for the anti-abortion movement — but also leaving the door open for future litigation.
This was the first major Supreme Court case on abortion since Roe v. Wade in 2022. Another major abortion case in the coming weeks concerns Idaho’s strict abortion bans and a federal law requiring treatment for health emergencies.
