Supreme Court Temporarily Restores Telehealth Access to Mifepristone

The Supreme Court temporarily halted restrictions on mifepristone, making the abortion drug accessible online and via mail order for the next 7 days.

The Details: Justice Samuel Alito temporarily paused a court ruling that prevents mifepristone from being prescribed without an in-person doctor visit. The two manufacturers of the drug, Danco and GenBioPro, filed an emergency appeal on Friday claiming that banning telehealth prescriptions of the medication created "immediate confusion and upheaval" in time-sensitive medical decisions.

For Context: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ended in-person screening requirements for abortion medication in 2023 under the Biden administration shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan in the 5th Circuit Court ruled that telehealth prescriptions defy Louisiana law, as they allow Louisianans to receive the drug despite the state's ban on elective abortion.

How the Media Covered It: Both Politico (Lean Left bias) and The Hill (Center) reported that medication abortions, the type of abortion induced by mifepristone, account for two-thirds of abortions in the US. The Hill noted that online-only clinics accounted for about a fourth of medically supervised abortions in the US, with Politico reporting that telehealth prescriptions have "become one of the most common ways for patients to circumvent state bans on the procedure." Washington Examiner (Lean Right) highlighted statements from the Circuit Court's ruling, which said, "Every abortion facilitated by FDA's action cancels Louisiana's ban on medical abortions and undermines its policy that 'every unborn child is a human being from the moment of conception.'"

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