The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a victory to President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday by rejecting a move from anti-abortion groups and doctors to limit access to the abortion pill.
In a unanimous decision, the justices overturned a lower court ruling that had sought to reverse Food and Drug Administration measures from 2016 and 2021.
The measures had relaxed restrictions on the prescription and distribution of mifepristone, ensuring broader access to the drug despite the court’s previous decision on abortion rights two years ago.
The U.S. court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to challenge mifepristone, a pill used in over 60% of U.S. abortions since receiving FDA approval in 2000. To proceed, they needed to show direct harm linked to FDA actions. A ruling in their favor could have undermined the FDA’s authority over drug safety regulations.
The plaintiffs challenged FDA regulatory changes made in 2016 and 2021, which included permitting medication abortions up to 10 weeks of pregnancy instead of seven and allowing mail delivery of the drug without requiring a woman to see a clinician in person. Initially, the lawsuit aimed to overturn FDA approval of mifepristone entirely, but this aspect was dismissed by a lower court.
The case is part of the ongoing fight over abortion rights in the United States. With a 6-3 conservative majority, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in 2022, which legalized abortion nationwide.