Supreme Court halts restrictions on abortion pill
The Supreme Court has stepped in to block a Texas-based federal judge’s order that pulled back the approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. The highest court’s decision temporarily blocks the order for five days.
The case stems from a lawsuit in which U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled mifepristone, the most common method of abortion, was unsafe and should be pulled off the market. The drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 and has been used safely for more than two decades.
Justice Samuel Alito issued a stay of Kacsmaryk’s April 7 ruling. The administrative stay ends April, during which time any response to the application is due before noon on Tuesday, April 18. The five-day period will enable other justices more time to weigh in. The Department of Justice had asked the Supreme Court to weigh in just days before.
Since Kacsmaryk made his ruling April 7, an appeals court ordered restrictions on the abortion pill, but kept is legality and accessibility. Another federal judge in Washington ordered the abortion pill remain legal in the 17 states that sued to keep it legal. Kacsmaryk’s ruling has also been slammed by biopharma and health leaders who argue the decision has wide-ranging impacts for the industry, including de-incentivizing innovation. Mifepristone is commonly referred to as being safer than Tylenol.
Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, also filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to keep the drug available and legal while an appeal continues.
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."