US Justice Dept takes abortion pill fight to Supreme Court

WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department said on Thursday that it will go to the Supreme Court to appeal restrictions imposed on a widely-used abortion pill in the latest round of an intensifying battle over reproductive rights.

The move by the administration of President Joe Biden came just hours after an appeals court blocked moves to ban mifepristone, but limited access to the drug used for more than half of the abortions in the United States.

“We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court... to protect Americans´ access to safe and effective reproductive care,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said. Speaking to reporters during Biden´s visit to Dublin, Ireland, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “we believe that the law is on our side, and we will prevail.”

Late Wednesday, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said mifepristone should remain available for now, but limited access to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from 10. The appeals court also said in-person visits would be necessary to obtain the pill -- a requirement lifted in recent years -- and blocked the medication from being sent by mail.

The 2-1 ruling by the conservative-majority federal appeals court in New Orleans, Louisiana, came after a US District Court judge in Texas overturned the Food and Drug Administration´s two-decades old approval of the drug last Friday.