U.S. Supreme Court Keeps FDA Abortion Pill Rule in Place For Now

The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated, at least temporarily, the FDA’s sale and use of mifepristone.

The court on Friday afternoon temporarily stayed (stopped) a U.S. district court order that blocked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) approval of the abortion pill.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito – who last year authored the opinion overturning Roe v. Wade – issued the brief order on Friday.

He wrote:

UPON CONSIDERATION of the application of counsel for the applicant, IT IS ORDERED that the April 7, 2023 order of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas … is hereby administratively stayed until 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. It is further ordered that any response to the application be filed on or before Tuesday, April 18, 2023, by 12 p.m. (EDT).

The order from Justice Alito allows the FDA to continue to permit the sale of mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in a chemical abortion, and also removes the several restrictions that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit had placed on its use earlier in the week. The order applies until Wednesday, April 19 at 11:59 PM ET.

The Fifth Circuit had stayed the portion of U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s order blocking the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill, but had imposed several significant restrictions on its use, including blocking women from ordering the pill through the mail.

However, Justice Alito’s opinion restores access to the abortion pill, and ends the restrictions placed on it by the Fifth Circuit, at least for the next five days.

American journalist Shannon Bream pointed out that the order from Justice Alito, along with the orders from Judge Kacsmaryk and the Fifth Circuit, are currently only dealing with the question of access to the abortion pill while the underlying lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom plays out.

Remember, this is a process about deciding whether (and what kind of) access to mifepristone continues (or doesn't) while the underlying case plays out on the merits. What's pinging around #SCOTUS right now isn't about the merits/substance, yet …

— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) April 14, 2023

The Daily Citizen will keep you apprised of any important developments in this case.

The case is U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine.

Some women, after taking the first abortion pill (mifepristone) come to regret their decision. Thankfully, there is a way to reverse the pill’s effects if prompt action is taken.

To learn more about the abortion pill reversal protocol, visit abortionpillreversal.com or call 1-877-558-0333 to be connected with a medical professional who can guide callers through the process of reversing the pill’s effects.

Additionally, if you’re struggling and need a listening ear, Focus on the Family offers a free, one-time counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor. To request a counseling consultation, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) or fill out our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

The case is Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Related articles and resources:

My Choice Network

Focus on the Family Pro-Life

Appeals Court Upholds Significant Restrictions on Abortion Pill

Pro-Life Victory: Federal Judge Blocks FDA’s Approval of Abortion Pill