Topline
The Food and Drug Administration launched a safety study into mifepristone—one of the primary means of administering abortions in the U.S.—the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, which could allow the Trump administration to restrict distribution of the pill after the Supreme Court last month restored access to the drug by mail.
Key Facts
Citing unnamed administration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported the study is likely to take at least six months, which means it will not be completed before the midterm elections.
The inquiry into the safety of the drug, which was approved by the FDA more than two decades ago and deemed safe and effective by experts, was reportedly opened after months of pressure from anti-abortion groups and some GOP lawmakers in Congress who have called for a crackdown.
The report noted the FDA is unlikely to ban the drug outright, but the study may allow the agency to block its distribution by mail or via telehealth without requiring an in-person doctor’s visit.
According to the Journal, the agency may have preliminary results available in July to meet an October deadline for a safety study ordered by a Louisiana federal court.
Big Number
63%. That is the percentage of all clinical abortions in the U.S. that are administered using a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, according to a 2023 study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute. This number was up from 53% of all clinical abortions in 2020.
Key Background
Last month, the Supreme Court restored access to Mifepristone via mail from pharmacies or telehealth services. The top court first temporarily paused a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that sided with the state of Louisiana and blocked the prescription of the abortion drug without an in-person doctor’s visit. After Roe v Wade was overturned, Louisiana has implemented a near-total ban on all abortions. The appellate court had sided with the state’s argument that the mail-in drugs undermined the state’s ban on abortions. Later in May, the Supreme Court issued a brief ruling allowing continued access to the drug by mail, with Justice Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting.
further reading
FDA Launches Study of Abortion Pill Safety as Opponents Push for Limits (Wall Street Journal)
Supreme Court Temporarily Restores Access To Abortion Pills By Mail (Forbes)
