The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Americans have the right to full access to mifepristone, an abortion medication. This decision has been welcomed by pro-life advocates, who argue that it empowers states to protect life.
The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Americans have the right to full access to mifepristone, an abortion medication. This decision overturns a lower court ruling that had blocked the FDA's approval of the drug.
The decision was hailed by pro-life advocates, who argued that it upheld the states' ability to protect life. Erin Hawley, a pro-life lawyer who helped work on the case, said that the Supreme Court had reaffirmed the states' right to "protect life" and that there is "simply was no fundamental right to abortion enshrined in the Constitution."
Supreme Court Upholds Unrestricted Access to Abortion Medication
The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey rulings, allowed states to make their own laws regarding abortion. The Dobbs case was sparked by a Mississippi law that banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Hawley said that since the Dobbs decision, 41 states have enacted abortion bans, although many have exceptions for rape, incest, and risk to the health of the mother. A total of 14 states have near total abortion bans, and 27 have bans based on gestational duration, including three states with six-week bans.
Supreme Court Upholds Unrestricted Access to Abortion Medication
Hawley also noted that states with abortion bans have expanded support for pregnant and new mothers, with some allocating tens of millions of dollars annually. She said that this support shows that pro-life states are "serving women and children, not only during pregnancy, but also beyond."
Despite the abortion bans in many states, Democratic-led states still allow women to obtain abortions. Some states have even passed laws that further protect abortion access for women in their state and those traveling from other states to undergo the procedure.
Supreme Court Upholds Unrestricted Access to Abortion Medication
Hawley stressed the importance of changing hearts and minds on the subject of abortion restrictions. She said that the pro-life movement should "continue to support women and to show them that there are other choices and that those choices can empower both them and their unborn child."
The Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to leave the decision of when a doctor can legally perform an abortion to protect the life of the mother to the doctor's professional judgment. Hawley said that "so long as the doctor's action is objectively reasonable within his or her professional medical judgment, then there's no reason that the doctor would run afoul of any state's laws."
Supreme Court Upholds Unrestricted Access to Abortion Medication
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled against a challenge to the FDA's regulatory approval process of mifepristone. Hawley, who argued the case against the FDA, said that she hopes the agency will "ultimately be held to account."
