How abortion confusion led to mifepristone ruling

+ GOP sticks with Iowa as first political beauty contest US Edition - Today's top story: The Supreme Court rules mifepristone can remain available – here's how 2 conflicting federal court decisions led to this point [View in browser]( US Edition | 24 April 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [How to read a drug label]( - [A simple mistake can get you shot]( - [The physics of rainbows]( Lead story The abortion pill mifepristone – the most common method of ending a pregnancy in the U.S. – will remain accessible in states where abortion is legal. At least for now. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, the U.S. has become a constantly evolving patchwork of new restrictions – or more liberal laws – related to abortion. It can be hard to keep track of what exactly is legal, and where, at any given time. So I know I wasn’t the only person who was confused earlier this month when two federal judges issued conflicting rulings, back to back, about whether people should be able to use mifepristone. Turns out, I was right. Legal scholar Naomi Cahn told me that she has fielded many questions from people in recent weeks asking what happens when federal judges disagree in their rulings. “Although the Supreme Court majority said that it had hoped that the Dobbs opinion would end federal battles over abortion rights, there is more confusion and conflict than ever, in every corner of the country,” Cahn and fellow law professor Sonia Suter [write in today’s lead story](. “And the confusion may continue for a while.” In a separate piece, Jamie Rowen of UMass Amherst and Tami S. Rowen of the University of California, San Francisco, [break down what the Supreme Court’s]( emergency ruling on mifepristone means for abortion access. [[Sign up here to our topic-specific weekly emails.](] Amy Lieberman Politics + Society Editor The Supreme Court is the latest court to take up the question of regulating a medication used for abortions. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images [The Supreme Court rules mifepristone can remain available – here’s how 2 conflicting federal court decisions led to this point]( Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Sonia Suter, George Washington University Many people wonder how courts can rule in contradictory ways. But it happens relatively frequently. Health + Medicine - [How will the Supreme Court’s decision on mifepristone affect abortion access? 4 questions answered]( Jamie Rowen, UMass Amherst; Tami S. Rowen, University of California, San Francisco The Supreme Court’s ruling on mifepristone keeps the drug accessible for now, but its future is still in limbo. Economy + Business - [Global shipping is under pressure to stop its heavy fuel oil use fast – that’s not simple, but changes are coming]( Don Maier, University of Tennessee Shipping companies have billions invested in fleets that were built to last decades. Now, the US is calling for zero emissions by 2050, and the EU is raising the cost of fossil fuel use. Environment + Energy - [Arbor Day should be about growing trees, not just planting them]( Karen D. Holl, University of California, Santa Cruz; Pedro Brancalion, Universidade de São Paulo Planting trees is a popular way to do something for nature, but putting seedlings in the ground is just the first step. And without long-term care, those sprouts may not last. - [Can rainbows form in a circle? Fun facts on the physics of rainbows]( Partha Chowdhury, UMass Lowell Each rainbow is personal – the rainbow you see isn’t exactly the same rainbow the next person sees. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. Politics + Society - [For Republican presidential hopefuls, Iowa is still the first political beauty contest]( Steffen W. Schmidt, Iowa State University Democrats may have pushed Iowa out of the early-state presidential nominating lineup, but Republicans are sticking with Iowa first. - [‘Stand your ground’ laws empower armed citizens to defend property with violence – a simple mistake can get you shot, or killed]( Caroline Light, Harvard University Laws shielding from prosecution those who kill and maim citing self-defense have spread across the states and may be fueling a ‘shoot now, think later’ mindset among homeowners. Ethics + Religion - [Fast fashion still comes with deadly risks, 10 years after the Rana Plaza disaster – the industry’s many moving pieces make it easy to cut corners]( Ravi Anupindi, University of Michigan Ten years after the collapse at Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, the garment industry’s deadliest disaster, reforms are incomplete. The opaqueness of today’s complex supply chain is part of the problem. Science + Technology - [Prescription drugs’ fine print is important – a toxicologist explains how to decode package inserts to take medications safely and increase their effectiveness]( Brad Reisfeld, Colorado State University Don’t be intimidated by the package insert that comes with your medication. Learning how to read it can help you better understand how drugs work. 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