Texas organizations react to U.S. Supreme Court ruling, weigh in on telehealth abortion access debate
Women across the country, including here in Texas, will still be allowed to access the abortion drug mifepristone through the mail.
On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court set aside a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that blocked women from being able to get the pills in the mail after having a telehealth visit.
In 2023, the FDA during the Biden administration cited COVID and changed the rules, which had required women to see their doctors and receive mifepristone in-person.
The justices didn't sign their order but said the lawsuit will still move forward in the lower courts.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
We spoke with organizations on both sides of this issue.
Ja'Loni Owens with Avow Texas, said the organization is grateful for the decision from the Supreme Court.
"I mean, I think that the decision is very much in alignment with what we already know about mifepristone, which is that it is very safe," said Owens. "It's been FDA approved for over 25 years now, it's been recognized globally as being safe for folks to have medication abortions, and so while the lawsuit continues to play out, which we know is already, you know, there's a lot of ideological underpinnings there."
"I am really happy to see that, folks can at least take that deep breath of relief and know that they can still access this medication and not have to continue to, you know, check news headlines to be able to access very routine healthcare," Owens added.
"Well, as a U.S. Supreme Court lawyer myself, I'm very disappointed in what the Supreme Court did," said President of Texas Values, Jonathan Saenz. "And I think a lot of people figured the court needed a week or so, a little bit of time, just to come up with the right way and maybe a short opinion on this issue, because there's no doubt that the pill that comes through the mail that causes the death of a baby is not safe for women."
Saenz told CBS Texas politics reporter Jack Fink that access to this type of drug will be harmful to women.
"And you don't need to just hear it from me. I mean, there's a woman named Rosalie that's involved in this case and talks about how her boyfriend used these abortion pills to pressure her to take the life of her unborn child against her wishes," he said. "That's the type of coercive behavior, that's the type of abusive behavior that you're gonna see people take advantage of, and women are gonna get hurt, sadly."