Appeals court limits abortion pill access

Appeals court limits abortion pill access

A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily froze federal rules allowing the teleprescribing and mailing of abortion drugs, which now account for more than 60% of all abortions in the health system.

Why it matters: The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling marks a major win for the anti-abortion movement, which had been pressing the Trump administration to reinstate in-person dispensing requirements.

Driving the news: A three-judge panel sided with Louisiana in a case challenging Biden administration rules that expanded access to the widely used abortion drug mifepristone.

  • The state argued the federal rules undermined its laws protecting unborn human life and caused it to spend Medicaid funds on emergency care for women harmed by mifepristone.
  • A lower court judge ruled last week that mail-order prescriptions for mifepristone should continue while the Food and Drug Administration finishes a safety review of the drug.

    • What they're saying: Reproductive rights advocates said the appeals court ruling will curtail nationwide access to necessary care.

  • "At a time when families are struggling to afford basic needs like housing, groceries and child care, it is unconscionable to restrict lifesaving access to abortion medication," said Regina Davis Moss, CEO of advocacy group In Our Own Voice.
  • "Reinstating in-person dispensing requirements would force people to travel farther, take more time off work, and absorb costs that are simply too high."

    • The Supreme Court threw out a challenge to the mifepristone rules in 2024, finding that doctors who pressed the case lacked legal standing.

    What's ahead: An emergency appeal to the Supreme Court is likely, per the Guttmacher Institute.