By Marcia Coyle
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a case involving Oklahoma's restrictions on the use of certain drugs to terminate pregnancies.
The justices earlier had agreed to review the state law, which had been struck down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court as placing an undue burden on a woman's right to choose to have an abortion.
However, at the same time, the justices had asked the state high court to answer two questions about the meaning of the law and the effect of the limits on three drugs used to end pregnancies, including RU 486.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court answered those questions last week by explaining that the state law, in effect, banned all medication abortions, including those necessary to end ectopic pregnancies. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit had upheld a similar law.
In their order on Monday, the justices offered no comment on the Oklahoma case, saying only that it was being dismissed as improvidently granted. Oklahoma is one of five states with laws restricting medication abortions.
The case dismissed was Cline v. Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice.
Contact Marcia Coyle at mcoyle@alm.com.
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