Supreme Court temporarily blocks limits on abortion pill after emergency appeals from drug makers

The Supreme Court of the United States has temporarily restored access to the abortion pill mifepristone through telehealth appointments and mail delivery while it reviews emergency appeals from drug manufacturers.

According to CNN, Justice Samuel Alito issued an “administrative stay” on Monday, pausing a lower court ruling that would have required patients nationwide to obtain the medication in person.

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The order will remain in place until May 11 while the court considers arguments from Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, manufacturers of branded and generic versions of mifepristone.

Danco Laboratories said the appeals court ruling “injects immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions.”

GenBioPro warned the decision risked “abruptly cutting off access for patients nationwide.”

The case returns abortion rights to the centre of the court’s agenda less than two years after the justices overturned Roe v. Wade.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, patients in the US have been allowed to receive mifepristone through telehealth services without visiting a doctor in person.

Medication abortions accounted for more than 60 percent of abortions in the country in 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The legal challenge was brought after Louisiana argued that federal rules allowing mail access undermined state abortion restrictions.