The pill Mifepristone, which helps end early pregnancy, is the center of a Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday.
Last year, 63 percent of abortions were medication abortions. Mifepristone is one of the two drugs most commonly used for this type of abortion.
The lawsuit challenges the FDA’s power to make it easier to get the drug.
Plaintiffs claim the FDA made the drug easier to access without due diligence. They also claim the FDA broke the law by allowing patients to get the pill through telehealth and the mail.
Pharmacies, such as Walgreens and CVS, began dispensing mifepristone in select locations this month, expanding access.
FDA argues, however, that those changes were done properly.
Essentially, this case ruling could make access to abortion harder.
Doctors say restricting access to Mifepristone would strike another huge blow to abortion access in the US.
WATCH | Future of medication abortion in the spotlight again ahead of SCOTUS case
This week, the Supreme Court will take up a case that could have major impacts on women’s reproductive healthcare.
“We are going to see all kinds of terrible unintended consequences,” Dr. Amy Bryant, an OB/GYN in North Carolina, said should the Supreme Court rule against the drug.
Dr. Bryant says despite safety concerns from anti-abortion rights advocates – Mifepristone is safe to use.
“We’ve been using this for over 20 years now,” said Dr. Bryant. “And it’s clear that this has an extremely, exceptionally safe record.”
It’s a topic that has major implications in a major election year, too. Local and national political candidates have seized on the controversial issue since the fall of Roe v. Wade with SCOTUS’ Dobbs decision in 2022.
A Supreme Court decision on this case should be made at the end of June.
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