A federal judge has ruled that access to the abortion pill mifepristone through telehealth and mail will remain in place for now, pausing a legal challenge that could have restricted it nationwide.
The case was brought by the state of Louisiana and a Louisiana resident who argued that a 2023 rule by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowing mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine and mailed to patients was unsafe and undermined state abortion bans.
U.S. District Judge David C. Joseph — appointed by a previous administration — agreed to put the lawsuit on hold while the FDA completes its own safety review of mifepristone. He wrote that “it is FDA, not this Court, that possesses the expertise to evaluate scientific evidence and make public health judgments” on the drug’s safety.
Because of the ruling, doctors can continue to prescribe mifepristone over telehealth and patients can receive it by mail, even in states with strict abortion laws. Telemedicine has become a major way people access abortion medication, accounting for more than one in four abortions in the U.S. last year.
Louisiana’s legal challenge focused on overturning the 2023 rule that removed the requirement for an in‑person doctor visit before receiving the medication. Opponents argue telehealth prescriptions make it harder to enforce local abortion bans, but leading medical groups say the medication is safe and effective whether prescribed in person or via telehealth.
The judge ordered the FDA to report back to the court in six months on the status of its safety review. That means access to mifepristone through telehealth and mail will continue for now, but the case could return to court once the FDA review is finalized.
The ruling is seen as a temporary but important win for abortion access, as legal battles continue over medication abortion in the wake of changing laws since the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning federal abortion protections.
