mifepristone @ SCOTUS next week

a quick and digestible overview

Next week the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the first case about abortion since the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade (Dobbs v. Jackson).

Wait what case is this?

It’s a case brought by a group of anti-abortion doctors and dentists (yes, dentists), designed to reinstate completely unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion. It is no way based on the science or health data which we have - it is just about reproductive control and restricting access. 

It all started back in April when smug-faced garbage human Matthew Kacsmaryk, a federal judge out of Amarillo, TX (the only federal judge out of Amarillo, TX), demanded that the FDA roll back the FDA’s approval of mifepristone from 2000 - a whopping 24 years later.

There were appeals, SCOTUS agreed to hear the case, and here we are.

From Ms. Magazine:

The Supreme Court denied the anti-abortion doctors’ appeal but agreed to hear the DOJ appeal on two issues: whether the doctors of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine had standing to bring the lawsuit, and whether the FDA erred in making the 2016 and 2021 changes to the regulation of mifepristone. Legal experts believe it’s unlikely the Court will reopen the issue of the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone—but it could.

Note:

• The 2016 change approved mifepristone for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy (previously it was only up to 7 weeks).

• The 2021 change removed the requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person (yay, telehealth!).

What would happen if SCOTUS sides with the anti-abortion doctors/dentists:

1:  Mife would only be approved up to 7 weeks of pregnancy

2: It would be required to be dispensed in person, not through telehealth services/through the mail

These bogus restrictions would make care harder to access even in states where abortion is currently legal.

Why are they going after mifepristone?

Mifepristone is used in the majority of abortions in the US. According to a recent report from the Guttmacher Institute, medication abortion accounted for 63% of all US abortions in 2023*—an increase from 53% in 2020.

*note: that’s only counting abortions that happened within the formal medical system.

Medication abortion (and being able to get it through telehealth) allows people to access care privately in their own homes, on their own schedules. It expands access.

When will we know SCOTUS’ decision?

Probably sometime in the summer.

Things to remember:

• If you need an abortion you can continue to visit www.ineedana.com which is a reliable source for info about accessing care no matter where you’re located in the US. 

• No matter where you live, you can order abortion pills right now, before you need them. Visit Plan C Pills, INeedAnA.com, or AidAccess.

• Mifepristone is a safe and effective medication, whether it is prescribed via telehealth/sent through the mail or dispensed in a clinic setting

• Abortion pills are and will always be available in our communities, and we will continue to help each other access care regardless of what any court decides (Abortion On Our Own Terms for resources) 

  • People safely self manage their abortions using mifepristone every day and the primary risk is a legal one, not a medical one (Pregnancy Justice and Repro Legal Defense Fund for legal support) 

  • If you need to go to a hospital, you do not have to tell them you took abortion pills - they will not be able to tell. The majority of people criminalized for self-managing their abortions were reported to police by medical staff. They are 100% not required to, but medical staff sometimes take it upon themselves to become an arm of the carceral state.

Okay, I’ll keep y’all updated. It’s okay to have abortions <3.

sweater vest via @soft.stella

xoxo,

your favorite becca

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