on PinterestThe future of telehealth access to the abortion pill mifepristone remains uncertain as the FDA conducts a safety review of the drug.
on PinterestThe future of telehealth access to the abortion pill mifepristone remains uncertain as the FDA conducts a safety review of the drug. lawsuit Joe Raedle/Getty Images
- The Supreme Court temporarily paused a lower court decision to restrict nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone.
- A Louisiana lawsuit challenging mail-order mifepristone prescriptions remains on pause while the FDA completes its own review of the drug’s safety.
- Medication abortion now accounts for nearly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions, with telehealth delivering one in four — a that could shrink if the FDA’s safety framework changes.
The fate of nationwide access by mail for the abortion pill mifepristone has returned to the U.S. Supreme Court.
On May 4, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. temporarily halted a recent lower-court ruling that restricted nationwide access to the abortion pill by mail — at least for now.
The Supreme Court’s ruling reverses a May 1 decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which ruled in favor of a Louisiana lawsuit that dispensing the abortion pill via telehealth threatens the safety of pregnant people.
Louisiana currently bans abortion in almost all instances. The lower court’s ruling also attempted to block access to dispensing the drug by mail for miscarriage management and other non-abortion procedures. The ruling sowed confusion and chaos among providers and patients alike.
Justice Alito’s order issued a temporary pause until at least May 11.
Last month, a Louisiana judge paused a lawsuit challenging mail access to mifepristone until the a Food and Drug Administration completes its review of whether its own safety requirements for the drug are sound.
According to U.S. District Judge David Joseph’s decision, the FDA has 60 days to update the court on its review of the REMS rules, which dictate who can prescribe the drug and whether it can be mailed. The agency has six months to finish.
In a post on X, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she asked the Fifth Circuit to suspend the 2023 rules, arguing the state “is likely to succeed in showing that the 2023 REMS is unlawful.”
“Decades of evidence and research from the U.S. and around the world show that mifepristone is safe and effective,” Amy Friedrich-Karnik, director of federal policy at the Guttmacher Institute, told Healthline in April.
“These medications are so safe, they can be used as over-the-counter medications (and are in other countries),” said Sarah Prager, MD, an OB-GYN at the outcome will determine whether this remains an option.
“While this case is paused and mifepristone access remains unchanged for now, we know the fight is far from over. The judge’s ruling leaves the door open for future restrictions to mifepristone access, said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), in a statement d with Healthline.
“From the courts to the Trump administration to state legislatures across the country, mifepristone and abortion access are very much still under attack. Planned Parenthood organizations will continue to fight for patients to have the freedom to access care that is safe and effective
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