The abortion pill Mifepristone has been on the market in the United States for more than 20 years. She is a thorn in the side of abortion opponents. Now the country’s highest court is dealing with the drug.
Accompanied by protests, a hearing on access restrictions for the abortion pill Mifepristone begins before the US Supreme Court. The case is considered one of the most important current abortion rights cases in the United States. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Supreme Court in the US capital Washington.
Abortion opponents and representatives of the pro-choice movement, which advocates for women’s freedom of choice, are trying to drown each other out with chants. The mood is a bit heated, but things initially remain peaceful.
Mifepristone was approved in the United States in 2000 and is commonly used with the drug misoprostol for abortion. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is a reliable medication. Abortion opponents have sued against the approval of mifepristone. They want to make access to medical abortion more difficult.
“Roe vs Wade” repealed in 2022
Almost two years ago, the Supreme Court with its conservative majority overturned the nationwide right to abortion. As a result, state parliaments can regulate by law whether abortions are permitted. If the judges are to restrict access to mifepristone, this will also have consequences for states where abortion is permitted.
“People must have the opportunity to decide for themselves what is best for them at a given time,” said 60-year-old protester Jennifer outside the court on Tuesday. She hopes that the Supreme Court will come to the conclusion that the FDA is a capable body of experts and makes decisions based on science. The 25-year-old abortion opponent Savannah Rose Deterich, however, said: “I believe that the right to life is the most important of all human rights and that it is the most precious gift we have been given.”
