Louisiana urges Supreme Court to uphold order blocking mailing of abortion pill |
Louisiana urges Supreme Court to uphold order blocking mailing of abortion pill
Louisiana officials in a court filing urged the Supreme Court to leave in place an order from a lower court that blocks women nationwide from obtaining a widely used abortion medication through the mail.
The Trump administration, trying to straddle the line on abortion, was silent.
Last week, Justice Samuel Alito temporarily paused an order from the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that reinstated a requirement that women must visit a health care provider in-person to obtain mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.
That ruling caused immediate confusion and upheaval for patients, providers, pharmacies as well two of the manufacturers of mifepristone, which asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
Alito’s pause was meant to give the court time to consider that request.
The 5th Circuit’s ruling came after Louisiana sued the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restrict access to mifepristone. The state objected to a 2023 FDA regulation that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed through telehealth, in pharmacies and through the mail.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mifepristone has been available to........