The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to sharply curtail access to abortion pills, reversing federal actions that expanded availability. This could restrict the pills from 10 weeks of pregnancy to 7 weeks and require in-person doctor visits. The Biden administration plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. One judge wanted to go further and strip approval of the pills altogether. Access will remain unchanged for now but legal experts say this puts the pills in greater peril. The fate of medication abortion now rests with the Supreme Court, which could take up the case next year ahead of the 2024 election. The ruling highlighted divisions between judges over interpreting an old anti-vice law’s impact on mail delivery of abortion pills.

“Unborn babies are a source of profound joy for those who view them,” he wrote. “Expectant parents eagerly share ultrasound photos with loved ones. Friends and family cheer at the sight of an unborn child. Doctors delight in working with their unborn patients — and experience an aesthetic injury when they are aborted.”