Whitmer applauds SCOTUS ruling on mifepristone, while cautioning vigilance

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs an executive directive in preparation of enacting Proposal 3, which enshrines abortion rights in Michigan’s state constitution, on Dec. 14, 2022. (Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist are both hailing a Thursday decision from the U.S. Supreme Court allowing a widely used abortion pill to remain on the market. 

“Mifepristone will remain safe, legal, and available to Michiganders, despite another attempt by partisan, out-of-touch extremists trying to strip away reproductive freedom,” said Whitmer, a Democrat. “The plaintiffs filed this lawsuit in hopes of finding a sympathetic audience in the same Supreme Court that repealed Roe, a decision that has already led to more than a third of American women losing their abortion rights.”

Thursday’s unanimous decision in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, means that mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available under current prescribing guidelines.

U.S. Supreme Court rejects attempt to limit access to abortion pill

The high court unanimously rejected attempts by anti-abortion groups to roll back access to what was in place more than eight years ago, writing that they lacked standing to bring the case.

While applauding the decision, Whitmer said a “nationwide assault on abortion” remains ongoing, targeting all forms of reproductive health care, including birth control and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

“We must remain vigilant. Extreme state governments, organizations, and their allies will stop at nothing to limit or outright ban reproductive rights nationwide. They will not rest, and neither will we,” she said.

Gilchrist joined in the cautionary approval of the ruling.

“We know that this is a small win in a longer journey and that the fight to defend reproductive freedom is not over,” he said. “Republican calls for a national abortion ban pose an existential challenge to reproductive freedom in Michigan and across the country. We will keep standing tall for reproductive freedom and defending every person’s right to make their own decision to start or grow their family.” 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved mifepristone for up to 10 weeks gestation and it is used in about 63% of U.S. abortions.

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