Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the case challenging the FDA’s approval for expanded use of mifepristone, one of two medications commonly used to end unwanted pregnancies and treat miscarriages.
The decision—which is expected in June—could put access to the "abortion pill" in jeopardy. A method that many people rely on for reproductive healthcare: A recent study published in JAMA found that nearly 28,000 additional medication abortion pills intended for self-managed abortion use were issued in the six months following the end of Roe v Wade.
But as the Justices listened to arguments, workers and volunteers for Aid Access, a non-profit organization that provides access to medication abortion by mail, deployed so-called "roe-bots" to dispense mifepristone outside the Supreme Court. The robots were operated remotely by Aid Access providers residing in "shield law states," where they are legally protected from anti-abortion laws.
