Supreme Court blocks restriction, keeps mifepristone available via telehealth, mail and pharmacies

The Supreme Court issued an order on Monday that temporarily restores broad access to the abortion medication mifepristone, overturning a recent appellate court ruling that would have limited its distribution.

The order, signed by Justice Samuel Alito, permits the pill to be dispensed through pharmacies, mailed to patients, or provided via telehealth without requiring an in‑person doctor visit, maintaining the status quo for several weeks while the case proceeds.

Mifepristone, used together with misoprostol, accounts for the majority of medication abortions in the United States and has helped mitigate the impact of state abortion bans enacted after the 2022 Supreme Court decision that ended Roe v. Wade.

The decision follows a lawsuit by Louisiana seeking to restrict the drug, arguing it undermines the state's abortion ban, while several Democratic‑led states have enacted protections for providers offering telehealth abortions.