Reproductive Equity Now Celebrates Supreme Court Order to Allow Telehealth Access to Mifepristone to Continue
After today’s stay, mifepristone remains currently available via telehealth nationwide
BOSTON (May 14, 2026) – Today, after extending its temporary administrative stay of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruling in Louisiana v. FDA, the United States Supreme Court granted the request from Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro to restore access to mifepristone, the first drug used in a common two-drug medication abortion regimen, via the mail, while the court considers the manufacturers’ appeal.
“Patients and providers across the country are breathing a sigh of relief as the Supreme Court today allowed mifepristone to continue being dispensed via the mail. The Court’s stay will enable patients in all 50 states to continue to receive medication abortion with mifepristone via telehealth for the foreseeable future,” said Claire Teylouni and Taylor St. Germain, Interim Co-Executive Directors of Reproductive Equity Now. “This is a win for reproductive health care access, but patients and providers should never have to live in a constant state of legal limbo when it comes to obtaining or providing health care. Mifepristone is a safe, effective medication that has been used more than 7.5 million times in the last 20 years, and no political attack from anti-abortion extremists or the courts will change its long safety record. Reproductive Equity Now remains committed to ensuring patients and providers have access to clear, accurate information about what care is legal and accessible, no matter how rapidly the legal landscape shifts.”
Patients can learn more about options on how to access care at our New England Abortion Care Guide on Reproductive Equity Now’s website. Patients and providers with questions about their ability to obtain or provide care in Massachusetts or Connecticut can also reach our Abortion Legal Hotline at (833) 309-6301 to be connected with free, confidential legal advice.
On Friday, May 1st, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in Louisiana et al. v. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reimpose medically unnecessary in-person dispensing requirements on mifepristone, the first drug used in the common two-drug regimen for medication abortion. This decision limited telemedicine abortion by prohibiting the mailing or retail pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone, until the United States Supreme Court issued an order on Monday, May 4, temporarily restoring access to mifepristone. This order was set to expire at 5 p.m. May 11, until the Court extended the stay until today, Thursday, May 14, at 5 p.m.
Mifepristone has a well-documented record of safety and efficacy, and has been used more than 7.5 million times in the United States to end pregnancy since it was approved in 2000. Research shows that medication abortion using telehealth is just as safe as in-person abortion care. More than half of all abortions in the United States are provided via medication abortion, and more than 1 in 4 abortions nationwide are provided via telehealth.
Misoprostol can be used alone to safely and legally end a pregnancy. This protocol typically involves a different side-effect profile.
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