Court blocks access through the mail to mifepristone abortion pill

Updated May 1, 2026, 9:58 p.m. ETA federal appeals court on May 1 issued a ruling barring people from getting mifepristone abortion pills through the mail, a move that’s expected to significantly limit abortion access in states where it has been banned. The ruling by the U.S. 5th Circuit of Appeals based in New Orleans comes in response to a lawsuit brought by Louisiana over federal regulation allowing abortion providers to send mifepristone, one of two abortion pills, through the mail. State Attorney General Liz Murrill argued the regulation "had resulted in numerous illegal abortions in Louisiana" and "thousands in Medicaid bills for women harmed."On Friday, a three-judge panel for the appellate court issued its ruling granting Murril’s request to block the federal rule from the Food and Drug Administration that allowed the pill to be sent by mail."By ending the in-person dispensing requirement, FDA opened the door for mifepristone to be remotely prescribed to Louisiana women. The record shows that the policy now facilitates nearly 1,000 illegal abortions in Louisiana per month," the judges wrote in an opinion published Friday. "A decision in Louisiana’s favor would redress this injury because mifepristone could no longer be remotely prescribed to Louisianans."The