WASHINGTON (NEXTSTAR) – Mifepristone, the drug used in more than 60% of all abortions by 2023, may become more difficult to obtain up front.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine on whether the Food and Drug Administration followed federal law when it relaxed restrictions on the drug in 2016 and 2021.
“We must hold the FDA accountable for endangering the lives of women and girls across the United States,” Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mo.) said at a news conference Thursday.
“The FDA’s disregard for federal law and patient safety is appalling, and unacceptable,” added Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas).
In their reply brief, the FDA made broad arguments that abortion opponents lacked legal standing to bring suit and cited research on the safety of the modifications used when the restrictions were relaxed.
If the court agrees with the FDA, it would preserve access to mifepristone without touching on the politically sensitive issues of the dispute.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
