Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Pill Access
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily restored access to abortion pills via telemedicine and mail, pausing a lower court's restrictive ruling.
Lauren Collins ·
Supreme Court Restores Abortion Pill Access The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily reinstated a federal rule permitting the abortion pill mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine and dispensed by mail. This action, an administrative stay issued by Justice Samuel Alito, pauses a decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that had blocked the regulation and restricted nationwide access to the medication.
The 5th Circuit's decision had sought to re-impose an older federal rule requiring an in-person clinician visit for mifepristone, following a challenge by the state of Louisiana. The Supreme Court's interim order provides the justices additional time to review emergency requests from two mifepristone manufacturers, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, which aim to ensure continued telehealth and mail access during ongoing legal proceedings.
Justice Alito has directed Louisiana to respond to the drugmakers' requests by Thursday, with the administrative stay set to expire on May 11. The Court is expected to either extend this interim stay or issue a formal decision on the requests by that date. This development places the contentious issue of abortion access back before the Supreme Court, particularly concerning medication abortions, which account for over 60% of all abortions in the United States.