The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an effort to severely limit access to the abortion drug mifepristone.
The judge ruled that the plaintiffs – a group of anti-abortion doctors and activists – did not have legal standing to sue.
The ruling, which comes two years after courts struck down abortion protections nationwide, is a major victory for pro-life activists.
Mifepristone is one of two drugs used in medical abortion, currently the most common method of terminating a pregnancy in the United States.
The plaintiffs, known as the Hippocratic Medical Alliance, argue that federal approval of the commonly used drug should be revoked.
The court overturned this nationwide protection in 2022, known as Roe v. Wade. Seventeen of them banned surgery at six weeks or earlier.
Medical abortion—the use of pills delivered by mail—quickly emerged as an effective solution to these prohibitions.
In 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this two-drug regimen for use within 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Since 2016, the FDA has eased access to the drug, allowing doctors to hold virtual appointments with patients and allowing prescriptions to be sent by mail.
During two decades of use, the FDA, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other mainstream medical organizations have considered mifepristone and misoprostol safe to use.
American studies show that medical abortion is about 95% effective in terminating pregnancies, and less than 1% of cases require further medical follow-up.
