The Abortion Pill’s Supreme Court ‘Victory’ Is Not What It Seems. Here’s What’s Next.

When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its unanimous decision in Alliance v. FDA last week, it handed down a little victory for reproductive freedom by tossing a suit brought by far-right extremists who hoped to entirely block federal approval of mifepristone.

They failed. For now.

Abortion pills remain available and can be dispensed via telemedicine through providers like Hey Jane, and that’s something to celebrate. Telemedicine now accounts for 1 in 6 abortions in the U.S., and abortion care by phone, video and mail has become the most viable form of access for much of the country. We are glad the Supreme Court did not let the Alliance plaintiffs get in the way of that access, but this week’s shallow win is not what it seems.

This frivolous case never should have gotten as far as it did. For decades, we have known that mifepristone is incredibly effective and safe, having one of the lowest complication rates of any medication on the market. Since this litigation began in late 2022, it has been successful only in its efforts to sow fear and confusion, delay access to essential health care and distract us from the ongoing threats to our reproductive rights, which have escalated since Roe v. Wade was dismantled in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022.

What the Supreme Court unanimously decided last week is obvious. The plaintiffs ― four anti-abortion medical associations and several doctors actively opposed to abortion rights who formed the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine in August 2022 ― have no standing to challenge the Food and Drug Administration’s decisions based solely on their ideological beliefs. This shouldn’t have made it up to the Supreme Court, and we should all be concerned