By Logan Langlois
NASHVILLE, TN — On Tuesday, 500 people committed to mobilization outside of the United States Supreme Court building for the “Bans Off Our Mife” action organized by Women’s March as SCOTUS began hearing oral arguments challenging the FDA’s 20-plus legal authorization of the drug mifepristone. Women’s March Executive Director Rachel O’Leary said among other things, mifepristone is used in over half of medical abortions because it is the least complicated and least painful available option. O’Leary said this case is just the latest fight in the overall conservative agenda targeting control over women’s right to abortion, and that is according to the goals set out by the conservative organizations themselves.
“When they tell us what they plan to do we believe them, and they have told us and in certain terms been telling us since Trump’s election that they are coming for abortion and they want a national ban,” O’Leary said.
The hearing stemming from the case U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine is the first time the Supreme Court has returned to legislation dealing with reproductive care since its June 24, 2022, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that took away the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years of legal precedent. O’Leary said the case being argued right now is of importance to all Americans, as it not only is a pivotal case in the fight over the reproductive rights of women, but it also could prove to be a landmark case in whether activist groups can affect FDA approval.
“Everybody should be very concerned about this case and the outcome of it,” O’Leary said. “And also the overall attack on women and democracy that is at the heart of it.”
O’Leary said Women’s March has been tracking this case since it was being discussed in the Northern District of Texas in Amarillo around this time last year. She said this led to the organization’s ability to quickly organize and spread the word about the ‘Bans Off Our Mife’ day of action. She said Women’s March will continue to apply pressure to this and similar issues, as well as issues around the Supreme Court such as ethical reforms to protect against outside fundamentalist conservative influences.
“We need some sort of reform that will make sure that the American people are safe from ideological zealotry from the bench,” O’Leary said. “Also, [so] that the Supreme Court can regain some sort of the legitimacy that it has lost in the eyes of the American people according to polls.”
O’Leary said the culmination of all the laws conservative legislators have been able to advance since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, including women facing challenges getting pills, state ban abortions, and travel bans for seeking abortion out of state, could cobble together into a de facto national abortion ban. She said all these efforts must be understood as an overall effort by the GOP to limit public access and the ability for action.
“All of this needs to be understood in the broader context of the attacks on democracy,” O’Leary said. “Inside of gerrymandering, inside attempts to stop the ease of voting attempts to restrict voter registration, voter roll purges, everything. We know the GOP very much so agrees with us, that when we go to the ballot box they lose. We win.”
O’Leary said participation in both community action events and the ballot box have been large since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. O’Leary said anyone looking to participate in future events or for further information can visit the “action hub” section of the Women’s March self-titled website.
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