Supreme Court seems poised to reject abortion pill challenge after arguments over FDA actions [Video]

Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared inclined to side with the Food and Drug Administration in a case involving a commonly used abortion pill and recent agency actions that made the medication easier to obtain, as the justices raised questions about whether a group of doctors challenging the moves demonstrated they had the proper basis to sue in federal court.

At the center of the legal battle is the pill mifepristone, which is taken along with another drug to terminate an early pregnancy. Approved by the FDA in 2000, more than 5 million patients have taken mifepristone, according to the agency, and studies cited in court filings have shown it is safe and effective.

In 2016 and 2021, the FDA took steps to make mifepristone more accessible, including allowing it to be taken later into a pregnancy and delivered through the mail without an in-person doctor’s visit. A group of anti-abortion rights doctors and medical associations challenged …