Issue of Abortion Is Again Before the Supreme Court

Abortion is once again before the Supreme Court, this time in a closely watched case about a commonly used abortion pill, mifepristone. The justices will hear arguments Tuesday morning on whether it should be more difficult for women to get the drug, which was used in two-thirds of US abortions last year, reports the New York Times. The FDA in recent years has made it easier to obtain the drug through options such as telemedicine, and Tuesday's case could roll back those policy changes, per CBS News.

The ruling is not expected to come out until late June or July, and mifepristone remains widely available in the interim, notes the Washington Post. A ruling restricting access could make medication abortions more difficult to obtain even in states where abortion is legal. The mifepristone case comes less than two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Vox has a detailed explainer about the questions in play during Tuesday's arguments. (More abortion debate stories.)