The U.S. Supreme Court on May 14 extended its order allowing a popular abortion pill to continue to be sent in the mail, after a federal appeals court ruling blocked the practice.
The new ruling states that the order allowing access to the pill by mail will remain in effect until an appeal is completed in the appeals court.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
The new ruling came after the maker of the brand-name version of the drug, Danco Laboratories, and the maker of the generic version, GenBioPro, asked the Supreme Court to block the Fifth Circuit ruling.
Whether mifepristone remains widely available depends on the ongoing Food and Drug Administration review of the Biden administration’s 2023 decision to drop the requirement of an in-person doctor visit before the pill is dispensed, as well as Louisiana’s lawsuit and legislation pending in Congress.
Louisiana, along with pro-life activists and lawmakers, argues that the no-doctor policy puts women’s health at risk and is illegal because it was enacted without proper consideration of safety risks.
Trump administration officials have said that abortion issues should be decided by the states.