U.S. Supreme Court Stays Ruling That Suspended Abortion-Pill Approval

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a federal court’s ruling that suspended the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill.

Justice Alito issued the administrative stay of U.S. District Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling dealing with the circulation of mifepristone, one of two drugs commonly involved in a chemical abortion regime. Mifepristone, a progesterone blocker, kills the unborn baby by depriving it of nutrients, and misoprostol causes uterine contractions to empty the uterus. Over half of all abortions in the U.S. are done using the two-drug combination.

The stay applies until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Any response to the application must be filed on or before Tuesday, April 18, 2023 by 12 p.m., the order states.