Key takeaways:
- The Supreme Court has granted a temporary extension of access to the abortion pill mifepristone until Friday.
- The lower court ruling had increased the gestational age limit for using the drug from 7 weeks to 10 weeks, and reduced the number of required in-person clinic visits needed for a prescription.
- The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000, and it has since become one of the most common methods of abortion in the United States.
The Supreme Court has granted a temporary extension of access to the abortion pill mifepristone until Friday, while the justices consider a legal challenge to the medication’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Justice Samuel Alito issued a brief order on Wednesday, extending the temporary hold on a lower court order that imposed limitations on the widely used abortion pill. The order was set to expire Wednesday at midnight, but has been extended until Friday at 11:59 p.m.
The lower court ruling had increased the gestational age limit for using the drug from 7 weeks to 10 weeks, and reduced the number of required in-person clinic visits needed for a prescription. The Supreme Court is now considering emergency requests from the Biden administration and drug maker Danco Laboratories to halt the appeals court ruling that rolled back a series of actions taken by the FDA since 2016.
The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000, and it has since become one of the most common methods of abortion in the United States. The drug is taken in two doses, and is typically used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision on the case soon. In the meantime, the temporary extension of access to mifepristone will remain in place until Friday at 11:59 p.m.
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