The US Justice Department moves to the Supreme Court to challenge restrictions imposed on a widely-used abortion pill in the latest round of an intensifying battle over reproductive rights.
The decision by President Joe Biden’s administration came only hours after an appeals court barred efforts to prohibit mifepristone while restricting access to the pills, which is used in more than half of abortions in the United States.
“We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court… to protect Americans’ access to safe and effective reproductive care,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
Last Wednesday, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that mifepristone should be kept available for the time being, but only during the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from ten.
The appeals court also stated that in-person visits would be required to get the pill – a condition that had been relaxed in recent years – and prohibited the drug from being distributed by mail.
The 2-1 decision by the conservative-majority federal appeals court in New Orleans, Louisiana, came after a US District Court judge in Texas last Friday invalidated the FDA’s two-decade-old clearance of the drug.
The appeals court ruling was denounced by Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Center for Reproductive Rights and other groups seeking to maintain access to abortion.
“We are furious that yet another court would choose to jeopardize the health and futures of the millions of people who rely on mifepristone for abortion care,” said Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson.
Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said “Unless the Supreme Court steps in, this decision will prevent many people from getting abortion care and force them to remain pregnant against their will.”
