US Supreme Court preserves access to abortion bill

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that the abortion pill, mifepristone, will remain broadly available while an appeals process plays out.

The ruling halts restrictions imposed by a lower court.

US President Joe Biden praised the decision in a statement.

“As a result of the Supreme Court’s stay, mifepristone remains available and approved for safe and effective use while we continue this fight in the courts,” he said. "I will continue to fight politically-driven attacks on women’s health.”

Biden urged people “to use their vote as their voice, and elect a Congress who will pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v Wade” -- the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortions legal.

The decision came after the Justice Department took the fight about mifepristone to the Supreme Court last week, following an appeals court ruling that limited the distribution and access to the medication which is used in more than half of abortions in the US.

The drug was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 but earlier this month a federal judge in the state of Texas ruled that the agency wrongly approved mifepristone, halting its use.

The Biden administration was quick to appeal that ruling, which made its way to the Supreme Court.

The top court’s ruling came less than one year after it overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in June, ending the constitutional right to an abortion.