Appeals court ends nationwide access to abortion pills via telehealth and mail
A federal appeals court has reinstated a nationwide requirement that abortion pills be dispensed in person, reversing years of telehealth and mail access to mifepristone. The ruling, a victory for abortion opponents, limits access to medication abortion, which accounts for over half of abortions in the U.S. The decision overturns a 2023 FDA rule that made pandemic-era telehealth access permanent.
- ▪The Fifth Circuit granted Louisiana's appeal to reinstate in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone, a key abortion medication.
- ▪Telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone were made permanent in 2023 after being temporarily allowed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- ▪Multiple studies have shown mifepristone is safe and effective when used at home following a clinician consultation.
- ▪Louisiana argued that the FDA's data supporting mail access to mifepristone was flawed, a claim disputed by reproductive health advocates.
- ▪Medication abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States.
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BREAKING NEWSMay. 1, 2026, 10:23 PM UTCAbortion RightsAbortion RightsAppeals court ends nationwide access to abortion pills via telehealth and mailThe ruling is a blow for abortion rights advocates, since it reinstates a requirement that mifepristone — one of the two pills used in medication abortions — be distributed in person.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00A patient prepares to take the first of two combination pills, mifepristone, for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., in 2022.Charlie Riedel / AP fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Aria BendixA federal appeals court on Friday granted the state of Louisiana's request to reinstate a nationwide requirement that abortion pills be dispensed in person.
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