U.S. Supreme Court allows access to mifepristone by mailfor now

"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to allow access by mail to the abortion drug mifepristone for now. The order effectively extends a previous stay issued by the Court on a lower court ruling that would have made it illegal nationwide to mail mifepristone. Only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. At the heart of the case is a disagreement over Louisiana state law and virtual abortion access."

"Louisiana filed a suit in 2025 against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, objecting to the use of mail-order mifepristonesomething the FDA first allowed during the COVID pandemicon the grounds that the drug carries potential risks and that prescriptions issued by telehealth providers and mailed into the state undermine its abortion ban. Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of Louisiana, prompting two companies that make the abortion pill to ask the Supreme Court to step in."

"The lower court's ruing, had it gone into effect, would have required those seeking mifepristone to access the medication in person. Mifepristone was approved by the FDA in 2000. It is typically used to induce abortion, often in combination with another drug called misoprostol, for pregnancies up to 10 weeks of gestation. The overwhelming evidence suggests the drug is safe to use, however the Trump administration has opened a review into its safety and efficacy that some experts say the findings are likely to be flawed at best, and an exercise in data cherry-picking to support the administration's views at worse."

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed mail access to mifepristone for now by extending a stay on a lower court order that would have banned nationwide mailing. The order keeps the status quo while litigation continues. Louisiana sued the FDA in 2025, challenging mail-order access that the FDA had permitted during the COVID pandemic. Louisiana argued that mifepristone poses potential risks and that prescriptions from telehealth providers mailed into the state undermine Louisiana’s abortion ban. A Fifth Circuit ruling favored Louisiana earlier in the year, and two manufacturers asked the Supreme Court to intervene. The lower court’s decision would have required in-person access. Mifepristone was FDA-approved in 2000 and is commonly used with misoprostol for medication abortions up to about 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Read at www.scientificamerican.com