US court bans receiving abortion pills by mail; drug manufacturer appeals

A US court has issued a ruling that significantly restricts access to the abortion pill mifepristone by mail, UNN reports, citing the BBC.

Details

In a Friday ruling, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily reinstated a requirement that medication abortion pills must be obtained in person rather than by mail or at a pharmacy via telemedicine.

The move specifically limits access to medication abortion pills—the most common method of terminating a pregnancy in the US—in states where abortion is banned.

The decision, resulting from a lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana, suspends a 2023 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation that allowed doctors to mail the pills without seeing patients in person.

The ruling will remain in effect while the case is being considered.

Meanwhile, as Politico notes, the company that manufactures the abortion drug mifepristone asked the US Supreme Court on Saturday to stay a lower court decision that cut off access to these drugs via telemedicine nationwide, including in states where abortion is legal.

The appeal to the US Supreme Court reportedly asks to temporarily restore federal policy allowing the pills to be prescribed online and delivered by mail, arguing that failure to do so would cause "instant chaos" and leave patients across the country in limbo.

The pharmaceutical company Danco has requested an immediate administrative stay while the case moves through lower courts. At the same time, it asked the US Supreme Court to immediately review the matter and hear arguments before the summer recess. GenBioPro, another manufacturer of mifepristone, is expected to file its own appeal soon.

Addendum

Mifepristone is reportedly the first in a two-pill regimen recommended by the FDA for terminating a pregnancy. It is widely available in states where abortion is legal.