politics
Supreme Court Issues Temporary Stay in Mifepristone Telemedicine Dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked a lower court ruling that would have ended mail and telehealth distribution of mifepristone. The stay lasts until next week while the high court reviews emergency appeals from the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals decision issued Friday. Cnn reported that medication abortion remains available even if mifepristone access is later restricted.
May 8, 7:00 AM·2m read1 source
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U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay Monday protecting access to mifepristone via telemedicine appointments or the mail. The stay is in place until next week while the high court reviews emergency appeals.
U.S. Court of Appeals issued Friday that would have stopped the telehealth and mail option for mifepristone.
U.S. Court of Appeals to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone. Louisiana has a strict law that prohibits abortion with few exceptions. The state argued that people who received the medication through the mail or telehealth were violating that law.
In 2023, President Joe Biden eliminated an in-person prescription requirement for mifepristone, permitting distribution via telehealth and the mail. U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000.
If telehealth and mail options end, mifepristone would still be available through in-person consultations, though that could prove logistically difficult for patients in states with restrictive abortion laws. Medication abortion has become the most frequently used method of abortion in the United States.
The standard two-drug medication abortion regimen consists of 200 milligrams of mifepristone followed by 800 micrograms of misoprostol up to 48 hours later.
When used together, mifepristone and misoprostol are 85% to 98% effective at ending a pregnancy and carry a less than 1% rate of hospitalization. Mifepristone blocks a hormone called progesterone, which the body needs for the pregnancy to continue. Misoprostol is approved to prevent and treat gastric ulcers caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
