Supreme Court agrees to hear high-stakes dispute over abortion pill

Washington — The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will take up the Biden administration's bid to maintain access to a widely used abortion pill, marking the first dispute involving abortion that the high court will hear since members of its conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade last year.

Brought by a group of doctors and medical associations opposed to abortion rights, the outcome of the case could have far-reaching consequences by restricting how the drug mifepristone can be obtained, who can prescribe it and when it can be taken. 

The high court intervened in the case during an earlier stage, leaving the availability of mifepristone unchanged until the justices render a final decision, which is expected by the end of June and would have a nationwide impact, even in states where abortion is legal.