Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion pill, while lawsuit plays out

"The court's order allows women seeking abortions to continue obtaining the drug, mifepristone, at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor. Access is likely to remain uninterrupted at least until into next year as the case plays out, including a potential appeal to the high court."

"The justices granted emergency requests from makers of mifepristone, who are appealing a federal appeals court ruling that would require women to see a doctor in person and halt delivery of mifepristone through the mail. The federal Food and Drug Administration, which first approved mifepristone for use in abortion in 2000, stopped requiring in-person visits five years ago."

"Anti-abortion groups, frustrated with President Donald Trump's administration, are pushing the FDA to move faster with a review that they hope will result in restrictions on mifepristone, including blocking its prescribing via telehealth platforms. The Republican administration says the work takes time."

"The court is dealing with its latest abortion controversy four years after its conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright. The case before the court stems from a lawsuit Louisiana filed to roll back the Food and Drug Administration's rules on how mifepristone can be pres"

The Supreme Court preserved access to mifepristone, a drug used in the most common method of abortion. The order allows women to obtain the medication at pharmacies or through the mail without an in-person visit to a doctor. The court rejected lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues. Emergency requests were granted from mifepristone makers that are appealing a federal appeals court ruling requiring in-person doctor visits and halting mail delivery. The FDA had stopped requiring in-person visits five years earlier. Anti-abortion groups have urged faster FDA action to impose restrictions, including limiting prescribing through telehealth. The case arises from a lawsuit filed by Louisiana seeking to roll back FDA rules on mifepristone.

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