The Supreme Court unanimously rejected a lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s approach to regulating the abortion pill mifepristone with a ruling that will continue to allow the pills to be mailed to patients without an in-person doctor’s visit.
Medication abortion accounts for nearly two-thirds of all US abortions, according to 2023 data from the Guttmacher Institute. At least 5.9 million women have used mifepristone since its FDA approval in 2000. It is also often prescribed for miscarriage treatment.
Mifepristone’s safety is well-established. Data analyzed by CNN shows it is safer than some common, low-risk prescription drugs, such as penicillin and Viagra. It also comes with a lower risk of serious complications than the alternatives: procedural abortion and childbirth. Telehealth for medication abortion is also effective and safe, according to a recent study.
See a timeline of mifepristone access since it was approved in 2000:
CNN’s Amy O’Kruk contributed to this report
This updated story originally ran on March 25, 2024, and was updated on June 13, 2024.
