The Supreme Court today granted a request from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Danco to block a lower court’s decision that would have severely restricted the use of mifepristone — a medication used in most abortions in this country — and threatened the innovation of new drugs and the ability of Americans to access lifesaving drugs.
Abortion remains legal in Massachusetts because the state legislature worked with the ACLU and other advocates to codify the right to abortion into state law and to pass best-in-the-nation protections for abortion providers and patients. People seeking or providing abortion care in Massachusetts can contact the Abortion Legal Hotline, a free and confidential resource to connect Massachusetts-based health care patients, providers, and helpers obtaining care in the state with free legal advice and resources about abortion access and care.
Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, issued the following statement in response to the decision by the Supreme Court:
“This is very welcome news, but it’s frightening to think that Americans came within hours of losing access to a medication that is used in most abortions in this country and has been used for decades by millions of people to safely end a pregnancy or treat a miscarriage. Decisions about reproductive health care should be left to a patient and their doctor—not politicians and extremists.
“This case, which should have been laughed out of court from the very start, will continue on. And as this baseless lawsuit shows, extremists will use every trick in the book to try to ban abortion nationwide. But if our opponents think we will allow them to continue to pursue their extreme goals without a fierce fight, they are sorely mistaken. Their efforts to prevent us from making our own decisions about whether to have a child are deeply unpopular, and we’ll keep doing everything in our power to work toward a world where everyone can actually make these decisions for themselves.”
