(AP) Washington Millions of women in states where abortion is allowed and supporters of abortion rights won when the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected an attempt by anti-abortion groups to restrict access to the abortion medication mifepristone on Thursday.

Women’s access to mifepristone is still mostly dependent on a patchwork of state legislation, with just around half of states permitting complete access under conditions permitted by the federal government, notwithstanding the decision.

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“Nothing changes anywhere,” Drexel University law professor David S. Cohen declared. Tomorrow will be the same as today, yesterday, and the day before this case was filed.

What Thursday’s ruling means and does not mean for abortion access is examined here.

The Supreme Court rendered what decision?
The judges held that the anti-abortion physicians who filed the lawsuit lacked the legal authority to challenge the Food and Drug Administration over the safety of the medication or modifications that increased its accessibility. More than twenty years ago, the FDA approved the medication, confirming its efficacy and safety.

Under the banner Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the anti-abortion physicians contended they could have to attend to emergency room patients who take mifepristone and sustain major injuries.

Legal analysts warn that other groups or people who think they can demonstrate a stronger legal link to the medicine may attempt to file a lawsuit along similar lines even as the ruling maintains mifepristone available.

“It’s a win that the status quo is preserved but it doesn’t signal that these are now dead arguments that others aren’t going to try and pursue,” Temple University law professor Rachel Rebouche said.

Definition of mifepristone.
Because it dilates the cervix and inhibits the hormone progesterone, which is necessary to maintain a pregnancy, mifepristone is used to terminate pregnancies. Usually, it is given together with misoprostol, a second medication that makes the uterus contract. Pregnancy can be ended with a two-drug treatment for up to ten weeks.

For mifepristone, what does the decision mean?
Under the present FDA system permits telehealth prescribing and patient mail delivery, but mifepristone is still completely approved and available. The FDA has also allowed nurses and other medical professionals to prescribe, extending its availability to big pharmacy chains.

Because of those regulations, mifepristone prescriptions have surged and last year accounted for about two-thirds of all abortions in the United States.

Large portions of the nation are unable to access the pills due to state laws that either outlaw abortion (including medication abortion) or place unique limitations on the usage of the substance.

In what ways do state laws affect mifepristone access?
The laws in the state where a patient lives and, if a state outlaws or restricts mifepristone, the actions that the state is prepared to circumvent them determine access in major part.

According to the FDA medicine label, about half of the United States permits mail delivery and online prescriptions for mifepristone.

Bans on abortion at all phases of pregnancy, including using mifepristone, are now in effect in 14 states. More than a dozen additional states have rules expressly restricting how it may be given, such as mandating an in-person consultation with a doctor or separate counseling regarding the possible negative effects of the medication.

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The American Medical Association and other major medical groups do not endorse their actions.

Mifepristone is how safe and effective?
The Biden administration and the FDA lodged many court challenges, stressing the safety and efficacy of the medication.

According to the FDA label, 97.4% of the time, mifepristone causes a successful abortion. As with any medication, the abortion pill is not always successful; in 2.6% of cases, a surgical procedure was required to finish the abortion. Less than 1% of the time, the pregnancy proceeded.

Rarely, mifepristone can result in major side effects, including infections, severe bleeding, and other emergencies. The FDA label claims that those happen in less than 1% of all patients using the medication.

How are drug abortions growing despite laws?
Despite state legislation targeting mifepristone, statistics indicate that women in those places still get the medication via mail because state officials have limited access to information on U.S. Postal Service delivery.

According to a poll released earlier this year, the Society of Family Planning estimates that by 2023, 8,000 women a month in states that prohibit abortion or impose restrictions on prescribing would be receiving the medications via mail.

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Regarding mifepristone legal problems, what lies ahead?
Legal experts point out that other parties might file further cases.

The Supreme Court denied Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri’s requests to join the FDA lawsuit, although a conservative Texas judge who had first ruled against the agency let them participate in his district. Legal specialists believe that the three states, all headed by Republican attorneys general, may attempt to resurrect the lawsuit at the lower court.

Rebouche remarked, “It is not the responsibility of these doctors to demonstrate their actual connection to abortion care.” “I believe that’s the vehicle in which you could see a lawsuit come forward because they are claiming a state interest in the regulation of medication.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Pinehurst, North Carolina – Since that screaming, birdie-filled run to open the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Patrick Cantlay’s life has slowed.

He is quite happy to be only three shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau, and he is going into the final round with a chance to win his maiden major championship.

It sounds fantastic, Cantlay said. Pinehurst looks to be a fantastic golf course. You play smartly around here and hit a lot of fairways so that you can climb the leaderboard with pars and a few birdies.

Keeping himself 4 under for the tournament, Cantlay fired an even-par 70 on Saturday in the third round, putting him with Rory McIlroy for a thrilling final-round partnership on Sunday. At Marco Simone during the Ryder Cup last year, the two players engaged in a furious altercation in which their caddies became involved.

Cantlay Has Another Steady Round To Stay Within Reach Of 1st Major Title At US Open

Cantlay has kept himself close to the lead by avoiding big mistakes since opening with five birdies in the first 11 holes on Thursday. On Friday, he made a double bogey. On the Donald Ross-designed course, where the sandy native parts have given players fit, and the domed greens have bewildered them, it has been a constant grind.

It’s tough to chip or put it up to tap-in when you miss greens around here, Cantlay remarked. “I say that because it often falls away and off the green from 4, 5, or 6 feet on the other side of the hole.

“The patience comes in leaving yourself three or four feet, or four or five feet, on the right side—even on chipping and putts from off the green. I performed admirably at that today and then made several of those par-saving putts from the right side of the hole.

Since entering the tour ten years ago, Cantlay, 32, has won eight times and amassed over $45.5 million in earnings. Although he has placed in the top 10 four times—once in the Masters (2019), once in the PGA Championship (2019, 2023), and once in the British Open (2022)—he is still seeking a major championship.

In the previous two years, he tied for 14th place at the U.S. Open.

Cantlay Has Another Steady Round To Stay Within Reach Of 1st Major Title At US Open

At first, his wild On Thursday, he tied with McIlroy for the lead after a day with just one bogey and six birdies, the last coming on a 15-footer to finish his round. His score of 5-under 65 is still the lowest of the competition thus far.

Ever since, though, things have been quieter—even calmer.

On Friday, his approach shot went off the right side of the green, his subsequent chip slid past the flagstick and off the other side of the green, and a chip attempt slowly crept back down to his side of the green. That was one big error.

Otherwise, he has played 35 holes over the last two days with five birdies and four bogeys.

Saturday, Cantlay buzzed the right side of the cup with a 15-footer for par, but he recovered his stroke on the fifth hole when he chipped onto the green and rolled the ball within a few feet for a birdie finish.

Cantlay bogeyed his ninth hole, but he continued to make pars. He hit his tee shot on 17 within 20 feet of the pin, and he holed a downhill birdie putt to tie the score and set up a Sunday charge.

Cantlay Has Another Steady Round To Stay Within Reach Of 1st Major Title At US Open

It needs discipline and patience, Cantlay remarked. Trying not to fire at too many flagsticks this week has gone well, especially when I don’t have a wedge.

“Being clever and managing your leaves is everything on this golf course. I have done a decent job of that thus far, and I will carry that strategy into tomorrow.

SOURCE – (AP)

INDIA — The fact that Katie Ledecky is going to her fourth Olympics seemed unthinkable when she was a 15-year-old London child.

These days, without her, it wouldn’t seem like a Summer Games.

At the U.S. swimming trials on Saturday night, Ledecky, as solid as ever, won the 400-meter freestyle event.

Katie Ledecky Heading To Her Fourth Olympics, Wins 400 Freestyle At US Swimming Trials

She presents qualifying for the Olympics as much simpler than it is. Ledecky is just the fourth American swimmer to qualify for the biggest stage of the sport at least four times.

She remarked that I take great satisfaction in such consistency. Feeling as though you are not making progress can be difficult at times, but being so consistent, nevertheless, makes me very happy. I now know to seize the day and truly love training.

Twenty-six thousand people watched as Ledecky reached the wall in the makeshift pool in three minutes and fifty-eight seconds.

She lowered her morning preliminaries time of 3:59.99 and positioned herself to challenge a strong field for another gold medal at the Paris Games.

In the 400 free, Australian “Terminator” Ariarne Titmus holds the world record and is the reigning Olympic gold medallist. Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh is expected to challenge for the top podium position.

Ledecky lost an individual event in Tokyo, finishing second to Titmus.

In Paris, too, she will have her work cut out for her.

Following her world record-breaking 200-meter freestyle and narrowly missing breaking her 400-meter mark in the Australian trials, Titmus won at 3:55.44, almost three seconds faster than Ledecky’s pace in Indianapolis.

It will be a tremendous field, Ledecky declared. “I have always performed rather well at becoming faster at the games in the time between the trials and the games. This time, the aim remains the same. With luck, that will place me well for the 400.

Katie Ledecky Heading To Her Fourth Olympics, Wins 400 Freestyle At US Swimming Trials

At the national trials, 27-year-old Ledecky is scheduled to swim four freestyle events, ranging from 200 to 1,500 meters. More gold medals than any female swimmer in Olympic history have already been hers—six golds in all.

Reminiscent of her 2012 London Olympics debut, Ledecky said, “I never thought I would make it there.” When I was a little child, I never imagined that.

Ledecky was driven to achieve ever higher goals after shockingly winning the 800 free in her lone event.

“I wanted to prove that I wasn’t a one-hit wonder, get back to that level,” she remarked. However, I also reminded myself that anything over that is only the cherry on top, the icing on the cake.

She will, therefore, value a fourth Olympic visit even more.

Suburban Carmel resident Aaron Shackell, who won the men’s 400 freestyle, will compete in the Olympics for the first time.

At 3:45.46, Shackell was touched to defeat bronze medallist Kieran Smith in this Tokyo Olympics event. Smith finished as runner-up in 3:45.76, which should be sufficient to qualify him for the Summer Games.

The top two in each race are expected to join the formidable American team, which is encouraging for Paige Madden, who finished second to Ledecky in 4:02.08.

Gretchen Walsh eclipsed Ledecky and Shackell on the first night of the trials. With a time of 55.18 in the semifinal heat of the 100-meter butterfly, the 21-year-old University of Virginia student established a world mark.

Katie Ledecky Heading To Her Fourth Olympics, Wins 400 Freestyle At US Swimming Trials

Walsh finished well to surpass the world record 55.48 set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, despite being more than a half-second slower at the turn.

Walsh added that a little buzz has been created. Though I knew it would need a (55) point-4 or point-5, I didn’t believe I could complete it tonight. I only knew I wanted to set a world record, and now look at me.

Walsh glanced incredulously at the scoreboard, a “WR” next to her name, hand over mouth. She still has some work to do, though, if she is to make her first Olympic team.

Olympic medallists Torri Huske, Regan Smith, and Claire Curzan will also compete in the 100 fly final on Sunday night. Shackell’s sister Alex qualified for the final as well and will be vying to join her brother on the Olympic team.

SOURCE – (AP)