CNN
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A group of doctors against abortion petitioned the Supreme Court on Tuesday to limit access to a key medication abortion drug while other legal proceedings are ongoing, with a deadline for the court to act by Wednesday night.
The request implies that once the Justice Department submits an expected response on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, the court may issue a ruling at any point as the legal dispute concerning mifepristone persists, almost two weeks after a federal judge in Texas disapproved the drug’s 2000 approval.
Recently, Justice Samuel Alito granted a request from the Biden administration and a drug manufacturer to temporarily suspend the decision to allow the justices more time to review the case. Alito sought input from the doctors and stated that a final decision would be made by 11:59 p.m ET on Wednesday.
In their petition, the doctors urged the justices to reject the Biden administration’s request, contending that for almost 25 years the government and a drug manufacturer have openly violated the law and regulations, disregarded safety concerns in their own data, evaded legal review, and prioritized politics over women’s health.
Erik C. Baptist, the doctors’ attorney, criticized the US Food and Drug Administration for insufficiently studying the drug’s safety.
He stated, “Over the years, the agency has removed every meaningful safeguard on chemical abortion, showing a lack of concern for women’s health, unborn life, and legal boundaries.”
He argued that the government’s claims amount to an exaggerated comparison between chemical abortion and common drugs like ibuprofen, and called the lower court rulings limiting access to the drug “meticulous decisions” that simply require the agency to comply with the law.
