For the past two decades, abortion pills with the substance mifepristone have been used in about half of all abortions performed in the United States. The drug is prescribed by doctors to medically terminate a pregnancy.
Ongoing legal battle
The ongoing lawsuit arose after an incident earlier in April, when a conservative judge in the state of Texas ruled to overturn the FDA's approval of mifepristone, which was granted in 2000.
The argument was that it had been approved too quickly and that not enough consideration had been given to what side effects it could have. Shortly thereafter, a federal judge in Washington issued a competing ruling, ordering continued access to the drug in 17 U.S. states.
U.S. abortion opponents now want the abortion pill banned nationwide, and a lawsuit has been filed in hopes of overturning the previous FDA approval. Meanwhile, the FDA is questioning the Texas judge's decision.
The White House and the company that makes the drug have appealed to the Supreme Court demanding that the restrictions on the drug be lifted.
"Many are worried"
On Friday, the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether the pill should be banned or remain available as long as the legal battle is ongoing.
– Many are worried here in the United States about what the Supreme Court will decide, says SVT's correspondent Fouad Youcefi in Morgonstudion.
In recent years, the issue of abortion has become increasingly politicized in the United States and access to abortion has been restricted or completely banned in some states.
The drug combination mifepristone, also known as RU-486, and misoprostol is approved in over 60 countries for the purpose of terminating pregnancies, including Sweden.
Watch the full interview with US correspondent Fouad Youcefi in Morgonstudion on SVT Play.