The Supreme Court Thursday unanimously dismissed a case seeking to ban a widely used abortion medication on a legal technicality, leaving access to mifepristone as it was for the time being.
The conservative top court ruled that a group of anti-abortion doctors lacked legal standing to sue to block the abortion pill, which was approved years ago by the Food and Drug Administration and is considered safe and effective.
But the court didn’t rule on the merits of the case, meaning the lightning rod issue is not settled for good.
“This case should never have been heard in the first place,” said Mini Timmaraju of Reproductive Rights for All, an abortion rights group.
The case had threatened to restrict access to mifepristone across the country, including in blue states like New York where abortion remains legal.
The court has not yet ruled on another keenly awaited abortion case: a liberal challenge to Idaho’s near-total ban.
There was no word either on the court’s decision on former President Trump’s demand for total presidential immunity.
