The Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously that pro-life plaintiffs lacked standing in the case to limit access to abortion pills.
Effectively, nothing regarding abortion policy in the United States has changed. According to Thursday’s ruling, the Court found that pro-life advocates did not have the legal right to sue the Food and Drug Administration over its approval of mifepristone and subsequent lifting of restrictions on obtaining the abortifacient.
“Federal courts are the wrong forum for addressing the plaintiffs’ concerns about FDA’s actions,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of the six justices to vote to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Mifepristone is one of the most common chemical abortion pills—reportedly utilized in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in 2023.
A press release by Texas Right to Life states that though children in the state of Texas are protected from elective abortion at the moment of fertilization, “Even a favorable outcome today at the Supreme Court would not have stopped the biggest problem regarding abortion pills: criminal actors.”
According to Texas Right to Life, organizations from foreign countries are illicitly transporting abortion pills overseas via mail to expectant mothers’ residences—which TRL argues should be the current focus of the pro-life movement.
SCOTUS’ ruling follows the legal challenge’s initiation by medical professionals and Alliance Defending Freedom. They argued that the FDA—under Democrat U.S. presidents—blatantly ignored safety protocols in 2016 and 2021 when loosening mifepristone accessibility restrictions.
TRL states in its press release that SCOTUS ignored pro-life arguments and instead concluded that the current plaintiffs were the wrong parties to bring the case before the court.
“Unfortunately, with this ruling, the Supreme Court has condoned the FDA’s overstep of its regulatory authority, to the detriment and danger of pregnant women and preborn children,” said TRL President John Seago.
“However, even a total Pro-Life victory in this case would not stop foreign doctors who are mailing abortion pills from other countries directly to women in Texas and other states,” he continued. “Christians must target this deadly lawlessness before it becomes the status quo.”
ADF also commented on the ruling—posting on X today that “While we’re disappointed the Court did not reach the merits of the FDA’s unlawful actions, nothing in today’s decision changes this fact: women and girls are being harmed by the FDA’s recklessness.”
“We will continue to advocate for women’s health and expose the careless actions of the FDA and the harms of abortion drugs,” ADF said.
The organization then thanked the Kansas attorney general’s office, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, and Idaho attorney Raul Labrador for standing with it in its fight against flaunting safety protocols for women and girls nationwide.
