Mifepristone: US Supreme Court delays abortion pill access decision
The US Supreme Court has extended until Friday a temporary block on limits to access of a popular abortion pill.
A Texas judge suspended approval of abortion drug mifepristone on 7 April, questioning its safety.
Parts of that decision were upheld on appeal, prompting the Biden administration to make an emergency request to the Supreme Court.
It's the most significant such case since the Supreme Court last year ended the nationwide right to abortion.
The pill - used in more than half of abortions in the US - was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more than two decades ago.
Critics say that by overriding the FDA's approval, the court in Texas has usurped the federal health agency's remit to regulate food, medicine, and medical devices. Legal experts warn the ruling opens the door for challenges to other approved medicines in the US and could also stifle development of future drugs.
Source: BBC News, 20 April 2023