Photo by Mark Richards/ZUMA Press
The US Supreme Court has decided not to weigh in on the constitutionality of an Oklahoma law limiting access to abortion drugs.
The court had tentatively agreed to hear a challenge to the 2011 statute, which bars doctors from prescribing abortion pills, except as outlined on the FDA label. Before proceeding, however, it asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to clarify the breadth of the law. Last Tuesday, the state court ruled that the bill effectively bans all abortion drugs, including those used to treat life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, and found that it was unconstitutional.
On Monday, the US Supreme Court responded by dismissing the case as “improvidently granted,” meaning that a 2012 ruling from a lower court, which struck the law down, will stand. For more on the case, Cline v. Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice, see Mother Jones‘s recent in-depth story.
Oklahoma is not the only place that’s clamping down on abortion drugs. Here’s an overview of other states that have restricted access:
A state-by-state LOOK AT abortion drug restrictions
Hover over a state to see a breakdown of restrictions in place there. Source: Guttmacher Institute.
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