Supreme Court to hear case on access to mifepristone Tuesday

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The fate of the abortion pill, mifepristone, lies with the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, the nine justices will hear oral arguments in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a case that could limit access to mifepristone, one of only two pills approved for a medication abortion.

Anti-abortion advocates say the drug is dangerous and should never have been approved for widespread use.

“Roughly one in 25 women will end up in the emergency room after taking these drugs,” Erik Baptist, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom said.

Baptist represents the abortion drug’s opponents. He says the FDA violated the law by removing safeguards for the medication, including an initial in-person doctor visit.

“Thereby allowing abortion providers to mail these drugs without ever having to check women for life-threatening conditions or complications,” Baptist said.

Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) says the FDA should be protecting women from the drug.

“They are breaking the law in doing this they’re endangering lives by doing this,” Hyde-Smith said. “This just is not right, and women deserve better than this.”

The FDA insists mifepristone is safe and its safety and effectiveness are closely monitored.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a Senate hearing earlier this month that restricting access to the drug would be harmful.

“If mifepristone were to be lost to Americans who need its medication, it would further reduce access to care,” Becerra said. “It would also mean that more women would probably place themselves in further danger trying to access the care that they need.”

The White House says it will keep pushing for nation-wide protections for reproductive rights,

“We have confidence in our arguments before the court,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during Monday’s press briefing.

The Supreme Court should rule on the case by the end of June.