US Supreme Court leaves abortion pill ruling on hold
The US Supreme Court has once again pushed back a decision on whether to halt the suspension of decades-old authorisation for a drug used in more than half of the country’s abortions.
Justice Samuel Alito issued a brief order on Wednesday extending a deadline for the high court to act on the Department of Justice’s request to keep the abortion drug available while the underlying litigation runs its course. The new deadline is set for Friday.
The move is the latest twist in a legal battle over the regulatory approval of abortion pills containing mifepristone, which has plunged abortion care into further disarray.
More than 700 executives working in the pharmaceutical sector signed an open letter calling for the reversal of Kacsmaryk’s decision, which they argued “ignores decades of scientific evidence and legal precedent”.
In its filing with the Supreme Court, the DoJ also noted that the “FDA faces an obvious threat of irreparable harm from conflicting court orders”. Just minutes after the Texas decision, a district court in Washington state issued a contradictory ruling ordering the FDA to maintain the drug’s availability. Last week, it said the decision should be followed “irrespective” of the Texas ruling.
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Jamie Smyth
