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US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday extended by two days a temporary block on lower court restrictions on access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The decision on the medicine with which more than half of the country’s abortions are carried out would be made this Friday.
Uncertainty over the abortion pill mifepristone in the United States will continue until Friday. The country’s Supreme Court decided to temporarily keep restrictions on the drug on hold.
The new deadline gives judges a little more time to consider requests from President Joe Biden’s Administration and pill maker Danco Laboratories. The two asked to block an April 7 preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas that would greatly limit the availability of mifepristone while the litigation progresses.
Judge Alito’s order extended the pause in the dispute until Friday at 11:59 pm (local time).
The Supreme Court – with a 6-3 conservative majority – had set a first term to make the determination until this Wednesday. One that was explained, in large part, so as not to generate confusion for the companies that produce the medicine and also the people who sought access to it.
An intense legal battle
After the historic ruling of Roe vs. Wade, which had legalized the procedure throughout the country, the Biden government seeks to defend mifepristone in the face of increasing prohibitions and restrictions of abortion enacted by Republican-led states.
The White House is prepared for a lengthy legal fight over the issue, according to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“Clearly, we are keeping a close eye on this… We are prepared for any outcome,” Jean-Pierre added.
The restrictions, which have been temporarily blocked, would reverse actions taken by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA for its acronym in English) since 2016 to facilitate access to mifepristone after confirming the safety and efficacy of the drug. Among them, it was contemplated to limit its use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy -with respect to the current 10-, it eliminated the mailing and imposed the requirement of three medical visits for people who sought to access an abortion with this medicine.
The Department of Justice raised the case to the Supreme Court after alleging that the restriction brings consequences for women and for the pharmaceutical industry, for which the ruling was temporarily suspended by the High Court.
A rollback on reproductive rights in the US?
Since then, 18 of the 50 states in the country have prohibited abortion or have taken restrictive measures against itIn 13 of these states, access to this practice is impossible, although there are exceptions, according to calculations by the Planned Parenthood organization.
Mifepristone is used in combination with another drug called misoprostol, a method by which more than half of all medical procedures are performed. abortions on US territory.
Some doctors consider continuing to propose abortions using only the second tablet. But this method has a slightly lower effectiveness rate and more side effects like severe cramps.
For states where abortion remains legal, if access to the abortion pill is restricted, women would still have the alternative of aspiration abortion, a more cumbersome procedure that requires a visit to a clinic.
54% of pregnancy terminations in the United States were performed with mifepristone abortion pills or misoprostolas revealed by the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit organization that supports the right to abortion.
With EFE and local media
