The United States Supreme Court is set to evaluate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) considerable deregulation of chemical abortion in 2016 and 2021 in the case referred to as FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The contentious issue emerged after a group of doctors challenged the FDA’s relaxation of rules around the distribution and use of these pills, referencing risks to both the unborn child and the mother.
In 2016, the FDA made ten substantial changes to the regulation of chemical abortions including extending the maximum gestational age for the procedure, allowing non-doctors to administer it, and eliminating the requirement for in-person follow-ups. These alterations occurred without the support of a study denoting the cumulative safety of these changes. The argument put forward earlier this week addressed the myriad complications and dangers that can arise from these types of abortions.
Potentially life-threatening complications, such as an ectopic pregnancy or gestational age miscalculations, can escalate the risk. Critics argue that these factors warrant an in-person doctor’s consultation before starting the process of chemical abortion. The FDA is accused of avoiding evidence that highlights chemical abortions as unsafe and accused of aiming to increase the accessibility of abortions in states that typically disallow surgical abortions.