Summary
A US appeals court has temporarily blocked the rule that allowed abortion pills, specifically mifepristone, to be sent by mail or picked up at pharmacies without an in-person visit. This decision reinstates the requirement that patients must get these pills in person, affecting access especially in states that ban abortion.
Key Facts
- The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the order on Friday.
- The ruling pauses a 2023 FDA regulation that let doctors send abortion pills by mail without seeing patients face-to-face.
- This limits access to medication abortion, which is the most common way to end a pregnancy in the US.
- The case was brought by the state of Louisiana.
- The FDA had first lifted the in-person requirement temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.
- In 2023, the FDA made the mailing option permanent before the court's ruling.
- A lower court had earlier paused the case while the Trump administration reviewed the FDA rules.
- Access to abortion pills by mail is important for people in rural areas, those with disabilities, or experiencing partner violence.
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