Conservative Court to Hear Case Challenging Long-standing Legal Status of Abortion Drug

A federal appeals court with a majority of Republican-appointed judges will consider a case seeking to ban the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide.
The Biden administration will argue that the court should overturn an injunction suspending the FDA's approval of the drug, which is used in medication abortions for more than half of US pregnancies.
The plaintiffs argue without evidence that mifepristone is dangerous and was unlawfully approved in 2000, though research has proven it is safe.
The ruling could lead to rehearing by the full appeals court, which has mostly GOP appointees, and an appeal to the Supreme Court.
A ban on mifepristone could severely restrict abortion access, as medication abortions have become the most common method of ending pregnancies in the US.