Illinois reacts to Supreme Court’s mifepristone ruling

ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The Supreme Court decided against hearing a case on banning a common abortion medication, and some Illinois politicians and advocacy groups had responses to the ruling.

All justices agreed the plaintiffs don’t have the legal right to sue. They did not rule on the merits.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois is pleased they can still offer the medication to its patients.

“The FDA approved mifepristone more than 20 years ago, and it has since been used by more than five million people to safely end an early pregnancy,” Jennifer Welch, the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said. “Medication abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol is the most common abortion procedure across the nation, which means PPIL patients can continue choosing their preferred method of care.”

Illinois Right to Life criticized the Biden administration for allowing widespread use

“This is an incredibly disappointing ruling by the Supreme Court,” Mary Kate Zander, Executive Director of Illinois Right to Life, said. “The Biden Administration has allowed the distribution of chemical abortion to go largely unchecked, even to the extent that women can order it to be delivered to their homes without the oversight of a doctor. This is a dangerous drug that’s virtually unregulated and a growing threat to women’s health and safety.” 

The anti-abortion group also cited a 2021 study which found 20 deaths, 529 life-threatening injuries, and 1,957 injuries occurred from the medication.

Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker called the decision a “small victory” and hopes the voters are motivated to show up at the polls in November.

“We know that unless we remain vigilant, this ruling will only be a temporary roadblock to MAGA extremists waging war against women’s rights,” Pritzker said. “To fully protect reproductive freedom, we must ensure MAGA extremists never again control the White House or Congress.”