MINNEAPOLIS — Reactions are pouring in after the Supreme Court announced Wednesday it would make decisions on access to a commonly used abortion pill.
The looming ruling could impact mifepristone's use in states that have remained protective of abortion rights, including in Minnesota.
The Supreme Court is once again the center of the abortion debate after announcing they would review a lower court's decision questioning FDA regulation of mifepristone in recent years.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said while access to the abortion pill is safe in Minnesota for now, the pending decision could limit access. Potentially the medication may not be able to be sent by mail or prescribed over telemedicine.
"It is entirely political, in my view," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. "It would substantially undermine a right which women have had safely and securely in Minnesota for quite a long time."
According to the CDC, 53 percent of all abortions were early medication abortions in 2021.
The Biden administration has requested the justices to overturn a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit whose decision questioned regulation. In its ruling, the panel said the pill could remain legal but with added restrictions.
"We have decades now of safety data," said Dr. Christy Boraas, an OBGYN with the University of Minnesota. "That shows us that using the medication is safe and effective."
Meanwhile, Cathy Blaeser, the co-executive director for Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, hopes for a different outcome.
"We're glad that the Supreme Court is going to look at the at the FDA's initial approval," said Blaeser. "And hopefully put those protections for women back into place so that women's health truly can be protected."
"It sets us back," said Boraas. "It continues to show the country that the women's health care isn't valued."
Ellison worries that the decision could not only be a blow to abortion access but also chip away at the FDA's authority.
"Are we going to now say that an administrative agency, which has done a job, which in this case happens to be crossing on the safety of particular medication, and undermine their ability to do the work that they do?" said Ellison. "It's not reasonable."
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