Supreme Court temporarily preserves abortion pill access


The Supreme Court on Friday upheld nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone — at least for the time being.
In its first major weigh-in since overturning Roe v. Wade, the court blocked a decision by Texas U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk that would have overturned the FDA's approval of the drug. The Supreme Court issued a brief emergency action against Kacsmaryk's ruling, and did not specify why they blocked his decision. However, the case is expected to be litigated for months, and it is likely that the justices upheld the status quo simply to give themselves time to consider their next steps.
The decision by the Supreme Court means that mifepristone will remain on the market for the foreseeable future, and that's a significant victory for the Biden administration, which has fought to codify abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The court's ruling means that mifepristone will also remain available by mail, and women can still take it at home up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, NBC News reported.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement, President Biden praised the court's decision, saying Kacsmaryk's ruling "undermined the FDA's medical judgment and put women's health at risk."
The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority, and two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, issued dissenting opinions.
While Thomas did not explain his reasoning, Alito claimed that the public would not have been harmed if the court had allowed Kacsmaryk's ruling to stand. "It would simply restore the circumstances that existed (and that the government defended) from 2000 to 2016 under three presidential administrations," Alito wrote. He added that letting Kacsmaryk's ruling take effect "would not express any view on the merits of the question whether the FDA acted lawfully in any of its actions regarding mifepristone."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
England’s ‘dysfunctional’ children’s care system
In the Spotlight A new report reveals that protection of youngsters in care in England is failing in a profit-chasing sector
-
Cider farms to visit this autumn
The Week Recommends With harvest season fast approaching, spend an afternoon at one of these idyllic orchards
-
Endangered shark meat is being mislabeled and sold in the US
Under the radar It could cause both health and ecological problems
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
Why are federal judges criticizing SCOTUS?
Today's Big Question Supreme Court issues Trump case rulings 'with little explanation'
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act