Supreme Court temporarily extends full access to abortion pill while it mulls legal challenge
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- The Supreme Court has temporarily maintained full access to the abortion pill mifepristone while deliberating on a case that could restrict its availability.
- On May 4, Justice Samuel Alito provisionally blocked a lower court decision that would have stopped the pill from being mailed.
- Alito extended this pause until 5 p.m. Thursday, allowing the court more time to decide its next steps.
- The availability of mifepristone nationwide was threatened after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Louisiana to void Biden administration rules permitting the drug's administration without an in-person clinician visit.
- This ruling impacts the ability to mail the pill, even to states with strict abortion restrictions.