The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily restored broad access to mifepristone, the primary abortion medication used across the United States. Justice Samuel Alito signed an order blocking a federal appeals court ruling from the previous week that had imposed new restrictions on the drug's distribution. The decision allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail without requiring an in-person medical appointment—a practice that had been permitted for several years before the appeals court action.
The majority of abortions performed in the United States rely on medication, typically combining mifepristone with a second drug called misoprostol. Access to these pills has significantly reduced the impact of abortion bans enacted by most Republican-led states following a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion and allowed states to impose their own restrictions.
Louisiana initiated legal action seeking to restrict mifepristone access, arguing that the drug's availability undermined the state's abortion ban. In response, some Democratic-led states have passed laws designed to protect healthcare providers who prescribe mifepristone via telehealth to patients living in states with abortion restrictions.
Manufacturers of mifepristone filed emergency appeals with the Supreme Court requesting intervention after the federal appeals court decision. The Court's temporary order will remain in effect for one additional week while both parties submit responses and the justices conduct a fuller review of the matter.
