Abortion pill politics continue after Supreme Court’s ruling

Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling that preserves national access for the abortion drug mifepristone was restricted and, with some states already preparing further litigation, the political debate over the pill continues.

Former President Donald Trump has remained silent on his stance on the drug, which was used for more than 60% of abortions last year.

In an interview with Time Magazine in April, Trump said he would release a policy position on the drug the following week. “I have an opinion about it, but I’m not going to explain it. I’m not going to say it yet. But I have pretty strong opinions about it,” he told Time. But that date came and went without an announcement from the former president.

“The Supreme Court ruled unanimously 9-0. The issue is resolved. This election is about correcting the weakness, failures and dishonesty of the Biden crime family,” said RNC spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez.

But the Supreme Court’s ruling on mifepristone remains a relevant issue for presidential hopefuls. The president of the United States appoints the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which administers the drug. The Supreme Court case was brought by a group of doctors and medical associations defending abortion rights against the FDA and the high court, in a unanimous decisionrejected the challenge on procedural grounds, concluding that the plaintiffs did not have standing to do so.

The Supreme Court did not address whether the FDA acted legally when it took a series of actions in 2016 and 2021 that relaxed the rules for the use of mifepristone. It is possible that a new FDA commissioner will try again to revoke its authorization.

A president who wanted to end the use of mifepristone could also enforce the long-dormant Comstock Act, which could be used to ban the mailing of abortion medications. Asked in that Time interview whether his administration would enforce that law, Trump said he would make a statement about it within two weeks.

In a closed-door meeting with congressional Republicans on Thursday, Trump did not speak about the court’s ruling in the mifepristone case, but he addressed the issue of abortion access more broadly, according to lawmakers present, and reiterated your belief in it is now left open. to the states to decide policy.

“He said to exercise your own conscience to talk about this, share your convictions and do it in a way that makes sense to people,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters about Trump’s comments. “The states are dealing with the issue right now, and that’s where he feels comfortable keeping it.”

The politics surrounding the issue of abortion have become complicated for Trump. He praised the overturning of Roe v. Wade and is credited with this, as he appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices during his first term. But the issue has also become politically risky for Republicans. In all states – even red ones where access to abortion is on the ballot – it was approved. And the issue has proven to galvanize Democrats at the polls.

While he supports leaving abortion access up to the states, telling Time that “it’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not” with how they decided to legislate, he also criticized some state laws. He criticized Six-week ban in Florida as “a terrible mistake” and “very serious”. But he refused to say how he would vote in a Florida ballot measure in November, which would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution.

At the same time, Trump also needs the support of anti-abortion groups and voters. In a speech recorded earlier this week at the Danbury Institute, which calls for abortion to be “totally eradicated,” Trump did not utter the word “abortion.” But he told them, “These will be your years, because you will make a comeback like no other group… And I will stand with you side by side.”

Democrats, who have made abortion access a central plank in their re-election campaign, applauded the Supreme Court’s decision but did not celebrate, warning that their fight for abortion access is not over.

“This is not a reason to celebrate because the reality is that some things are still not going to change,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “We are looking at the fact that two-thirds of women of childbearing age in America live in a state where Trump bans abortion. This ruling will not change that.”