A coalition of anti-abortion doctors asked the US Supreme Court on Tuesday to limit access to abortion pills widely used in the country, ahead of a long-awaited decision by the US judiciary on the issue, AFP reported.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the pharmaceutical company Danco, which manufactures mifepristone, “blatantly ignore existing laws and regulations (…) and consistently put politics before women’s health,” gynecological associations and pediatricians condemned in the text. submitted to the High Court.

Ever since a federal judge in Texas sued by anti-abortion activists revoked the FDA’s approval to sell mifepristone on April 7, it’s been a real legal battle. Despite the scientific consensus, he believed that it posed a risk to women’s health.

An appeals court, to which the federal government appealed, allowed the abortion pill to remain licensed but limited FDA access over the years.

The ruling banned mail-order mifepristone and reinstated limited use to seven weeks of pregnancy instead of ten.

The federal government then appealed to the Supreme Court, which on Friday temporarily upheld access to the abortion pill, suspending the appeals court’s decision to give it more time to consider the case.

The suspension is in effect until Wednesday, shortly before midnight, the Supreme Court said.

“Without the suspension, mifepristone will cause even more physical complications, emotional trauma and even death for women,” the doctors argued.

“It will also harm the plaintiffs by forcing them to undergo elective abortions that violate their conscience,” they added, asking the court to uphold the appeals court’s decision.

In combination with another drug, mifepristone is used in more than half of all abortions in the United States. More than five million American women have already taken it since it was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago.

In the 15 or so US states that recently outlawed abortion, the abortion pill is no longer officially available, although secondary channels have developed.

Consequently, the effects of restricting or banning the abortion pill will primarily affect those states where abortion remains legal—many of which are Democratic. (photo: Traci Hahn | Dreamstime.com)