This ruling pauses an order issued by an appellate court on Friday, but this ruling is temporary and the Supreme Court has yet to make a final decision

5.4.2026 (PRESS RELEASE) — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that forced people to get the abortion pill mifepristone in person at a clinic instead of getting it at a pharmacy or through the mail via telemedicine. The Fifth Circuit order came down last Friday, May 1st, in a case that was filed against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the state of Louisiana in an attempt to force people to get mifepristone in person at a clinic rather than filling their prescriptions by mail or at a local pharmacy. This in-person requirement was permanently removed by the FDA in 2023. Today’s ruling allows mifepristone to be mailed again for only a week until the Supreme Court can consider the case more fully and issue another ruling.

“This ruling is not final—keep watching.” Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Getting abortion pills through telehealth has been a lifeline for women since Roe v. Wade was overturned. There is no reason people shouldn’t be able to get mifepristone at a pharmacy or through the mail. Louisiana’s attempt to restrict access is political and not based in science or medicine. Americans deserve access to this critical drug that has been FDA approved for 25 years.”

The Trump administration is conducting its own politically-motivated “review” of mifepristone, despite decades of science showing its safety and efficacy. The FDA had asked—and the district court agreed—to hold off deciding this case until the administration’s review is finished later this year, with many suspecting the administration will reinstate permanent restrictions on mifepristone to make it much harder to access. 

Medication abortion—in the U.S., most commonly a two-drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol—accounts for more than 60% of abortions in the U.S. each year. A quarter of all abortions in the U.S. are now provided via telehealth—a two-fold increase since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Telehealth has been a lifeline, particularly for patients that live far away from abortion clinics, including people in rural areas where the nearest provider could be hours away.  

Hundreds of studies confirm mifepristone’s safety, and more than 7.5 million Americans have used the drug since it was approved by the FDA in 2000. Research shows mifepristone is just as safe when provided via telehealth as it is in a clinic.  

Louisiana v. FDA is one of several court cases brought by states with abortion bans that seek to restrict access to mifepristone nationwide. Ongoing cases in Texas and Missouri could go even further, including by directing the FDA to withdraw its approval of mifepristone altogether. Multiple state attorneys general are attacking healthcare providers outside their borders, hoping to give courts a chance to strike down shield laws that protect doctors who mail abortion pills.   

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