A Supreme Court case is going on right now about a pill called mifepristone that is used to treat early pregnancy and loss. A lot of people are against this pill because it is used with another pill to have abortions early in pregnancy.
There has been a lot of debate about abortion in the US, and many cases have been filed to try to make the procedure illegal, especially in states that want to ban it totally. The Supreme Court’s decision on this pill could change how easy it is for people in this country to get an abortion and how easy it is for the FDA to let us get one.
A group of doctors who are against abortion have joined forces to take this case to court so that this pill can’t be sold. But if the doctors win this trial, it could change how medicines are given, made, and governed.
Juan Hincapie-Castillo, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina and a researcher on drug policy, said, “I am scared.” The way things could go from now on has changed completely because of this case.
Mifepristone was allowed by the FDA more than twenty years ago, but only after strict conditions were met. For example, the patient had to be less than seven weeks pregnant, it had to be prescribed in person with follow-ups, and there was a better way to report risks.
The pill itself has a history of working and being helpful. However, since Roe v. Wade was overturned and the courts ruled in their favor, this case is now before the Supreme Court. Because of this, a lot of people have said that the rules about drugs should be based on science, not politics. This is what led to this case.
Concerns have also been raised about the FDA’s power to make medical and scientific choices. If this decision stands and the judge sides with the doctor, it could lead other people to sue just because they don’t like a drug, even if there aren’t any real medical or scientific reasons for it.