Abortion pill by mail allowed for at least 3 more days, the Supreme Court says

Key Points:

• The Supreme Court extended its consideration period by three days regarding a national ban on telemedicine access to the abortion pill mifepristone, keeping current prescribing rules in place through at least Thursday.
• The dispute began with a May 1 ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstating pre-pandemic rules requiring in-person receipt of mifepristone, counter to the FDA’s 2021 determination that telemedicine prescribing was safe and medically unnecessary to restrict.
• Telemedicine abortion involves remote consultation and prescription of mifepristone and misoprostol, with medication delivered by mail or pharmacy pickup; this method accounts for about one quarter of abortions in the U.S. and has increased since the 2022 Supreme Court abortion ruling.
• Some providers have shifted to using misoprostol alone after the 5th Circuit ruling, a method considered safe but with more side effects; misoprostol remains widely available due to other medical uses.
• The case raises significant issues about federal versus state authority over abortion access and the regulatory power of expert agencies like the FDA, with multiple states and former FDA leaders filing briefs emphasizing the importance of maintaining federal guidelines.