Court blocks mailing prescriptions of abortion pill mifepristone : NPR
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal appeals court in New Orleans has blocked the mailing of mifepristone, requiring the abortion pill to be distributed only in person at clinics, restricting access to one of the most common abortion methods in the U.S.
- The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling argues that FDA-facilitated abortions undermine Louisiana's abortion ban and its policy recognizing unborn children as legal persons from conception.
- The FDA, under President Biden, had eased restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing mifepristone to be prescribed and dispensed without in-person visits based on extensive safety data, but the court questioned the ongoing FDA review of the drug's safety.
- Critics, including the ACLU, warn that restricting telemedicine access to abortion pills will disproportionately harm rural, low-income, disabled, and marginalized communities across the nation.
- The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, which in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade but in 2024 unanimously preserved access to mifepristone.
