US Supreme Court temporarily preserves access to abortion pill mifepristone

The United States Supreme Court on Friday (April 14) temporarily preserved full access to the widely-used abortion pill mifepristone, putting on hold lower court decisions placing restrictions on the drug. According to a report by the news agency AFP, the court issued an administrative stay freezing rulings until Wednesday (April 19) to allow for parties to submit their arguments

The stay, signed by Justice Samuel Alito, asked for parties to submit their briefs by Tuesday (April 18).

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Friday's decision comes after the Justice Department filed an emergency appeal asking the Supreme Court to block the lower court rulings that would have banned or limited the use of mifepristone from 5 GMT on Saturday.

In its emergency filing, the Justice Department argued that the lower court orders would upend the status quo and scramble the complex regulatory regime governing mifepristone.

"That disruptive result would profoundly harm women, the nation's healthcare system, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and the public interest," the filing added.

The legal battle started last week when a conservative federal judge in Texas ordered a nationwide ban on mifepristone, in response to a lawsuit by an anti-abortion coalition challenging the FDA's approval of the pill in 2000. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk adopted language used by abortion opponents, saying mifepristone was used to kill the unborn human.

Apart from the Justice Department, Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, asked the Supreme Court in a separate filing to stay the lower courts' rulings pending an appeal, saying they risked creating "regulatory chaos across the country."

Danco Laboratories noted that a separate federal court in Washington ruled in response to a suit by 17 Democratic-ruled US states that access to mifepristone should be maintained, AFP reported.

(With inputs from agencies)

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