CT News Junkie | U.S. Supreme Court Takes Up Abortion Medication Case

By Christine Stuart
Story Originally Appeared in CT News Junkie

The U.S. Supreme Court has announced its decision to take up a contentious dispute centered on medication abortion, marking the court’s first abortion-related case since it overturned Roe v. Wade last year.

The case revolves around the medication mifepristone, a key component of the most common method of abortion in the United States. Appeals have been filed by both the Biden administration and the manufacturer of mifepristone, challenging an appellate ruling that imposes restrictions on access to the drug, including curtailing mail-order access and imposing additional constraints, even in states where abortion remains legally permissible.

Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, expressed concern over the case, highlighting that it doesn’t seem to question the FDA’s original approval of mifepristone but focuses on reinstating pre-2016 restrictions. These restrictions include a medically unnecessary seven-week gestational limit and potentially hampering telemedicine access to mifepristone by mandating in-person dispensing, which could disproportionately impact rural and low-income communities.

“We hope that the Supreme Court will rule using truth, science, and fact,” she said. “However, the Dobbs decision is a clarion reminder that we cannot rely on this tilted judiciary to vindicate our rights. We are not confident in the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence, but we are confident in our movement’s ability to keep providing compassionate abortion care to those who want it. State leaders will once again be poised to serve on the frontlines of this fight. And in 2024, it will be crucial to have leadership, from city halls to state houses to the Oval Office, that is committed to reproductive equity for all.”

Hart Holder emphasized that abortion remains legal in all New England states and urged patients to maintain their appointments and access care.

Mifepristone, an FDA-approved medication used as part of a medication abortion regimen, has a proven safety record and has been employed over four million times across the country since its approval in 2000. Medication abortion, comprising more than 50% of national abortion procedures, boasts a 99% safety rate and over a 95% efficacy rate. An alternative medication abortion regimen involving only misoprostol pills is also available.

Reproductive rights advocates underscored the importance of state leadership to protect mifepristone access, emphasizing the need for leaders who are committed to reproductive equity. Earlier this year, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined counterparts from 16 states and the District of Columbia to challenge FDA restrictions on mifepristone, with a court ruling preventing the FDA from limiting its availability.

Gov. Ned Lamont reiterated the protections Connecticut has given women to protect access to mifepristone.

“Decisions on reproductive healthcare should only be made between a patient and their doctor without the interference of politicians or judges,” Lamont said. “Doctors have been safely prescribing this medication to their patients for decades, and the only reason efforts to ban this drug are now making their way through the courts is for politically motivated purposes to restrict the ability of Americans to make these decisions themselves. Our administration remains firmly committed to ensuring that patients and providers in Connecticut have the ability to access mifepristone.”

Earlier this year – in response to the court’s ruling that reversed the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade establishing the right to an abortion – Lamont signed a series of bills that further enshrine into Connecticut law the ability of patients to make their own medical decisions regarding abortion and contraception.