Supreme Court Extends Access to Abortion Pill Mifepristone

Why it matters locally: The decision impacts access to medication abortion in Nebraska, where abortion is legal up to 12 weeks of pregnancy as of May 2023.

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The Supreme Court has again extended access to mifepristone, an abortion pill. On Thursday, justices temporarily paused a lower court ruling. The ruling would have prohibited telehealth prescriptions and mail distribution of the drug. Mary Ziegler, a professor at the University of California Davis School of Law, discussed the implications of the court's decision. She also addressed the ongoing legal challenges regarding access to the medicine. According to Ziegler, the legal battle surrounding mifepristone remains active. The Supreme Court's action allows current practices regarding mifepristone distribution to continue temporarily. The justices have not yet ruled on the merits of the case, only on whether to put the lower court's order on hold while litigation proceeds.