In its first ruling on reproductive rights since overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, the US Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit that questioned the FDA's approval of the abortion pill Mifepristone In doing so, justices sent the case back to the lower courts and temporarily upheld FDA regulations allowing clinicians to prescribe the pill via telehealth appointment and mail-order delivery of the drug.

The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the group which represents doctors and others opposed to abortion, had argued that relaxed regulations could cause doctors with moral or religious objections to treat patients arriving at the emergency room with complications related to taking the pill.

In a unanimous vote, the High Court said the plaintiffs cannot claim that the FDA had inappropriately expanded access to the abortion pill, saying that federal law already provides comprehensive protections for clinicians who object to providing abortions.

Although advocates for abortion and reproductive rights were quick to celebrate the decision, many cautioned that the case could work its way through the court system once again.

Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that the He reaffirmed the Department of Justice's commitment to protecting access in California.

Since the Supreme Court eliminated federal abortion protections, California has strengthened abortion rights and welcomed patients from states that have prohibited abortion.

Erin Hawley, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, the group representing the plaintiffs in the abortion pill case, said in a statement that it would continue the legal battle.

Mifepristone, the pill at the heart of the Supreme Court decision, is part of a two-drug regimen for medication abortion.

The FDA approved Mifepristone in 2000 and made it easier to access in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person dispensing requirements impossible.

It is now used in nearly all medication abortions.

For CalMatters, I'm Kristen Hwang.