US Supreme Court agrees to rule on abortion pill restrictions

WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to rule on restrictions imposed by a lower court on a widely used abortion pill in the latest skirmish in the battle over reproductive rights in the United States.

It is the most significant abortion case to reach the nation´s highest court since the justices overturned the constitutional right to the procedure in June of last year.

The lower court ruling imposing restrictions on the use of the abortion drug mifepristone has been on hold pending a decision by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court on whether it would hear the case. Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, and the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden had appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court ruling limiting access to the drug. In a statement, the White House said Biden was “firmly committed to defending women´s ability to access reproductive care” and that mifepristone has been proven to be “safe and effective.”

“Across the country, we´ve seen unprecedented attacks on women´s freedom to make their own health decisions,” the White House said. “No woman should be unable to access the health care that she needs. This should not happen in America, period.” The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the abortion pill case next year and is expected to issue a decision by the end of June 2024 -- four months before the US presidential election in which abortion is almost certain to be a major topic.