Red States’ Abortion Pill Battles to Survive Appeals Court Loss

Red states’ legal maneuvers to restrict access to abortion medication will live on despite a loss this week in a federal appeals court.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday shot down a request by Idaho and six other states to wade into a lawsuit between Democratic-led jurisdictions and the Biden administration over the abortion drug mifepristone. A three-judge panel found the conservative states had different motives than their liberal counterparts and couldn’t show a direct enough injury from the FDA’s decision-making to warrant their intervening in the legal battle.

The decision is a victory for ...