Georgia advocates react as court restores temporary access to abortion pill

Georgia advocates for reproductive rights responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Monday that temporarily restores access to abortion medication by mail.

The court halted an appellate court order to block the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be prescribed online and dispensed through the mail.

However, the administrative stay is only temporary and will remain in place until 5 p.m. on May 11. Now, the court needs to consider whether it will approve the drug companies’ requests to block the order while litigation proceeds.

Meanwhile, Georgia advocates for abortion rights remain active in calling on the courts to dismiss any case that limits reproductive freedoms.

Monica Simpson is the executive director of Sister Song: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. She told WABE that restricting mifepristone would lead to unnecessary and potentially harmful delays in care.

“Mifepristone is one of two medications commonly used in medication abortion. It is also used in miscarriage care, helping people safely manage pregnancy loss without unnecessary delays. Restricting access to this medication is not just about mifepristone. It is about power and control over who gets to make decisions about their own body,” Simpson said.

The FDA approved mifepristone as a safe and effective way to terminate pregnancy in 2000 and loosened restrictions on the drug in 2021 so that patients could receive the medication by mail.

Dr. Neil Winawer with Emory University School of Medicine told Fox 5 Atlanta that this change was mostly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“During the pandemic in 2021, it was dangerous to be around patients and so this really grew out of that, and because of that, in 2021, the FDA said it was okay to be able to provide abortion care services via telemedicine and prescribe mifepristone,” he said.

The Supreme Court is expected to make another decision on the case in the coming weeks.

“Once again, our rights are in limbo, and once again the constant rollercoaster of court orders will cause confusion among everyday people just trying to get care. But make no mistake: abortion is still legal in Georgia. Feminist Center will continue to offer care, including prescribing mifepristone. And we will fill in any gaps that this judicial back-and-forth has manufactured,” said Kwajelyn Jackson, the executive director of the Feminist Center for Reproductive Liberation, in a news release.