Overview
- In a temporary move on Monday, the Supreme Court paused the 5th Circuit’s order through May 11 while it reviews emergency appeals from mifepristone makers Danco and GenBioPro.
- The 5th Circuit restored an in‑person pickup rule and barred telehealth and mail delivery for mifepristone, reversing a district judge who had left FDA’s 2023 mail policy in place during an agency safety review.
- Louisiana urged the justices to keep the limits, claiming mailed pills are driving roughly 1,000 illegal abortions a month in the state and citing investigation and Medicaid costs as injuries that give it standing.
- More than 100 Republican lawmakers and anti‑abortion groups asked the court to let the 5th Circuit ruling stand, arguing mail‑order access fuels coercion and bypasses screening, while FDA and many researchers cite decades of data showing rare complications.
- Clinics reported a surge of frantic calls, last‑minute protocol shifts, and plans to use misoprostol‑only regimens if needed, underscoring the stakes as medication abortions now account for most U.S. abortions and many rely on telehealth.