US Court Rules to Temporarily Suspend Mail-Order Abortion Pills, Requires In-Person Clinic Pickup
A US appeals court has temporarily suspended the mail delivery of the abortion pill mifepristone, requiring women to pick up the medication directly at a clinic. The drug's distributor plans to appeal this ruling to the Supreme Court.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 15:20
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 15:31 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 16:14 (43 min after Collected)
WASHINGTON, May 1 (CNA) — A US appeals court today temporarily suspended the mail delivery service for mifepristone, a drug used in most abortions in the United States. However, one of the companies distributing the drug stated it would appeal to the Supreme Court.
Agence France-Presse reported that a three-judge panel of the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals made the ruling in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Louisiana is one of the US states with the strictest anti-abortion laws.
The order issued by this conservative-dominated court requires women seeking abortions anywhere in the United States to obtain mifepristone (commonly known as RU486) in person from a medical clinic, prohibiting delivery via mail or pharmacy.
Danco Laboratories, one of the two companies distributing the drug in the US, requested the appeals court to suspend the order for one week to allow the company to prepare an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court.
The appeals court overturned a lower court's ruling that had allowed mifepristone to continue to be delivered by mail during the FDA's review of its related regulations.
Supporters of reviewing mifepristone's safety cited a study conducted by a conservative think tank, but this study was not peer-reviewed and was published on a website rather than a scientific journal.
The FDA originally approved mifepristone in 2000, and it is the most common method of abortion care in the US, also routinely used to manage early miscarriages.
In the US, mifepristone, used to stop pregnancy progression, and misoprostol, used to empty the uterus, are approved for terminating pregnancies up to 70 days.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill welcomed the appeals court's decision, calling it a "victory for life."
Murrill stated, "Biden's abortion cartel has facilitated the deaths of thousands of babies in Louisiana (and millions in other states) through illegal mail-order abortion pills. Today, this nightmare ends."
Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a US non-governmental organization, condemned the appeals court's ruling.
Northup stated in a statement, "This is not about science; this is about making abortion as difficult, expensive, and inaccessible as possible."
Julia Kaye, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said, "Anti-abortion politicians have just made it harder for people across the country to access a medication that abortion and miscarriage patients have safely used for over 25 years."
Agence France-Presse reported that a three-judge panel of the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals made the ruling in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Louisiana is one of the US states with the strictest anti-abortion laws.
The order issued by this conservative-dominated court requires women seeking abortions anywhere in the United States to obtain mifepristone (commonly known as RU486) in person from a medical clinic, prohibiting delivery via mail or pharmacy.
Danco Laboratories, one of the two companies distributing the drug in the US, requested the appeals court to suspend the order for one week to allow the company to prepare an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court.
The appeals court overturned a lower court's ruling that had allowed mifepristone to continue to be delivered by mail during the FDA's review of its related regulations.
Supporters of reviewing mifepristone's safety cited a study conducted by a conservative think tank, but this study was not peer-reviewed and was published on a website rather than a scientific journal.
The FDA originally approved mifepristone in 2000, and it is the most common method of abortion care in the US, also routinely used to manage early miscarriages.
In the US, mifepristone, used to stop pregnancy progression, and misoprostol, used to empty the uterus, are approved for terminating pregnancies up to 70 days.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill welcomed the appeals court's decision, calling it a "victory for life."
Murrill stated, "Biden's abortion cartel has facilitated the deaths of thousands of babies in Louisiana (and millions in other states) through illegal mail-order abortion pills. Today, this nightmare ends."
Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a US non-governmental organization, condemned the appeals court's ruling.
Northup stated in a statement, "This is not about science; this is about making abortion as difficult, expensive, and inaccessible as possible."
Julia Kaye, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said, "Anti-abortion politicians have just made it harder for people across the country to access a medication that abortion and miscarriage patients have safely used for over 25 years."