Posted on Dec 8, 2023
Supreme Court justices discuss whether to hear abortion pill showdown
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Supreme Court justices were scheduled on Friday to discuss whether to take up a high-stakes legal fight that could result in a definitive decision on federal approval of the drug most commonly used for medication abortion.
At their regular private meeting, the nine justices were due to consider three different appeals raising different legal issues, including one filed by those challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s original 2000 approval of the mifepristone pill.
The two other appeals, brought by the Biden administration and drugmaker Danco Laboratories, are seeking to uphold decisions by the FDA that made it easier to access and use the pill in recent years. Danco makes the brand version of the pill, Mifeprex.
Even the court's decision on whether to take up the appeals is of practical importance because if the justices decide not to intervene in the ongoing litigation, an appeals court ruling that limited the availability of the drug by mail would go into effect.
At their regular private meeting, the nine justices were due to consider three different appeals raising different legal issues, including one filed by those challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s original 2000 approval of the mifepristone pill.
The two other appeals, brought by the Biden administration and drugmaker Danco Laboratories, are seeking to uphold decisions by the FDA that made it easier to access and use the pill in recent years. Danco makes the brand version of the pill, Mifeprex.
Even the court's decision on whether to take up the appeals is of practical importance because if the justices decide not to intervene in the ongoing litigation, an appeals court ruling that limited the availability of the drug by mail would go into effect.
Supreme Court justices discuss whether to hear abortion pill showdown
Posted from nbcnews.com
Supreme Court
Abortion
Medical
Health
Pharmaceuticals
Posted 5 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The current fight over the drug dates back to a November 2022 lawsuit filed by a group of doctors and other medical professionals represented by the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. They claim that the FDA’s 2000 approval was flawed, as were later decisions that made the drug easier to access, in part because they failed to take into account safety risks to women.
In a sweeping decision, Texas-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in April invalidated the FDA’s original approval of the drug from more than 20 years ago. After the Supreme Court put that decision on hold while litigation continued, the appeals court narrowed the scope of Kacsmaryk’s ruling, focusing on the post-2016 changes.
The FDA-approved regimen for a medication abortion involves two drugs: mifepristone, which blocks the hormone progesterone, and misoprostol, which induces contractions. A majority of abortions in the U.S. are carried out using the pills, according to a survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
Access to medication abortion, especially by mail, has become of major importance in light of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which has led to conservative states enacting tough restrictions that either limit or ban abortion outright. Fourteen states currently have total abortion bans, according to Guttmacher."
..."The current fight over the drug dates back to a November 2022 lawsuit filed by a group of doctors and other medical professionals represented by the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. They claim that the FDA’s 2000 approval was flawed, as were later decisions that made the drug easier to access, in part because they failed to take into account safety risks to women.
In a sweeping decision, Texas-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in April invalidated the FDA’s original approval of the drug from more than 20 years ago. After the Supreme Court put that decision on hold while litigation continued, the appeals court narrowed the scope of Kacsmaryk’s ruling, focusing on the post-2016 changes.
The FDA-approved regimen for a medication abortion involves two drugs: mifepristone, which blocks the hormone progesterone, and misoprostol, which induces contractions. A majority of abortions in the U.S. are carried out using the pills, according to a survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
Access to medication abortion, especially by mail, has become of major importance in light of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which has led to conservative states enacting tough restrictions that either limit or ban abortion outright. Fourteen states currently have total abortion bans, according to Guttmacher."
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