Justices delay action on FDA request to reinstate abortion-pill restrictions

[KWR65]

The Supreme Court on Friday put off action on a request from the Food and Drug Administration to reinstate a federal requirement that a pill used to induce abortion in the early stages of pregnancy be picked up in person from a health care provider. A federal district court in Maryland had suspended the requirement in July, concluding that requiring in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic violates the Constitution. The FDA asked the justices in August to block the district court’s order while it appealed, but the justices told the government on Thursday night to go back to the district court to ask for a less sweeping order there.

The regulations at the center of Friday’s order govern the dispensation of Mifeprex, the brand name for mifepristone, which the FDA has approved to end pregnancies through the first 10 weeks. The FDA’s regulations require patients to receive the drug from a health care provider in a medical setting, after signing a form acknowledging risks associated with the drug. After picking up the drug from a hospital or clinic, patients can take the pill at home, but the regulations do not permit patients to receive the pill by mail.

https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/10/justices-delay-action-on-fda-request-to-reinstate-abortion-pill-restrictions/

[crickets]

1. Why put it off? nt