US Supreme Court to weigh in on abortion pill access

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court was poised to wade into the divisive battle over the abortion drug mifepristone with a ruling due on Saturday on lower court-ordered restrictions on the widely used pill.

The nation´s highest court has until midnight Eastern Time Friday (0400 GMT Saturday) to decide how it will handle the most significant abortion case since it tossed out the constitutional right to the procedure last year.

The conservative-dominated bench had been scheduled to issue a ruling by Wednesday -- but it extended a stay freezing the lower court decisions for two days as it decides what to do next. It could also allow the rulings restricting access to the abortion pill to take effect while the appeals play out.