Last month, the FDA announced its decision to weaken chemical abortion safety regulations by lifting a requirement that abortion pills be dispensed in person for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Reversing over two decades of policy, this means that chemical abortion pills can now be sent through the mail.
The Supreme Court ruled this week to reinstate a restriction that requires people to access the abortion pill in person during the pandemic. An order from a federal judge previously halted the requirement, but the Supreme Court decided to lift that order, Reuters reports, which will make it that much more difficult for people to access abortion care.
Back in July, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland ruled that the in-person requirements âplace a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a medication abortionâ and may even violate their constitutional rights. But this week, at the Trump Administrationâs request, the Supreme Court revisited the case and ultimately decided that the requirement should stay, despite the fact that the pandemic rages on.