The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration could enforce a rule requiring that abortion pills be obtained in person at approved health care facilities and not through the mail or delivery – even during a pandemic.
Lower courts had previously sided with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which sued the Trump administration last year, arguing the longstanding Food & Drug Administration (FDA) rule endangered the health of individuals seeking mifepristone, a medication abortion pill, during the pandemic.
For a brief few months, people seeking abortion pills were able to get them through mail or delivery, including through mail-order pharmacies.
But the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling Tuesday puts an end to that, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing in the majority opinion that deference should be given to political agencies.
“The question before us is not whether the requirements for dispensing mifepristone impose an undue burden on a woman’s right to an abortion as a general matter. The question is instead whether the District Court properly ordered the Food and Drug Administration to lift those established requirements because of the court’s own evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Roberts wrote.
The requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person has been in place since the FDA approved the pill in 2000.
The ACLU, representing the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other groups, sued the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA in May, challenging the enforcement of the rule during the pandemic.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled last year that the FDA should pause enforcement of the requirement, citing the risk posed by COVID-19.
The Trump administration appealed, arguing the requirements were necessary.
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HD Editors Note:
Pro-abortionists have already slammed the ruling, claiming it puts women in danger, by forcing them to leave their homes during the COVID “pandemic”.
Since the beginning of last year, the Democrats have exploited COVID to advance their pro-abortion agenda. While most procedures were placed on hold, it was decided that making abortion more easy and convenient was essential. COVID merely fast tracted their godless and deadly efforts.
Lisa Rose Founder and President of live action, reacted to the SCOTUS ruling saying it is a small positive step, but reiterating “NO abortion should be permitted by law, whether at home or in clinic.”
