Advocates Bash 'Junk Science' As Appeals Court Blocks Abortion Pill by Mail
A New Orleans appeals court has blocked the mailing of mifepristone, a medication used in abortion care, citing concerns over the FDA's relaxation of safety rules. Pro-choice advocates argue the decision is based on 'junk science' and represents a broader effort to restrict abortion access. The ruling temporarily halts mail delivery of the drug while the court reviews Louisiana's challenge to federal distribution rules.
- ▪A three-judge panel in the 5th Circuit Court blocked mail distribution of mifepristone, arguing the FDA lacked scientific justification for removing in-person dispensing requirements.
- ▪Louisiana's challenge targets a 2023 federal rule allowing telehealth prescriptions and mail delivery of mifepristone, which advocates say is critical for access.
- ▪Pro-choice leaders, including Mini Timmaraju, Alexis McGill Johnson, and Nancy Northup, criticized the ruling as politically motivated and harmful to reproductive healthcare access.
- ▪The FDA is currently reviewing mifepristone's safety, a process that may not conclude until after the November elections.
- ▪Mifepristone has been deemed safe by the FDA, with studies showing major adverse effects in fewer than 1 percent of patients.
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By Peter AitkenPolitics Weekend EditorShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Pro-choice advocates told Newsweek that a decision in a New Orleans appeals court that blocked the distribution of mifepristone through the mail is "one step closer to a national abortion ban."Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, in an email comment wrote: "It is now much more difficult for people to access abortion care. Anti-abortion politicians know their policies are unpopular, so they are using every lever of government they can."Louisiana built this case on debunked, junk science," Timmaraju wrote.
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