Reproductive Equity Now Decries the Biggest Blow to Abortion Access Since the Dobbs Decision
A federal appeals court’s decision will ban telehealth abortion care using mifepristone
This ruling impacts Massachusetts abortion providers who mailed more than 50,000 medication abortion pills nationwide in 2025 alone
Boston, MA (May 1, 2026) – Reproductive Equity Now released a statement following the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decision’s ruling in Louisiana et al. v. Food and Drug Administration(FDA), which reimposes medically unnecessary in-person dispensing requirements on mifepristone, the first drug used in the common two-drug regimen for medication abortion.
This decision limits telemedicine abortion by prohibiting the mailing or retail pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone, and is a part of the anti-abortion movement’s larger agenda to ban abortion nationwide. More than half of abortions are provided through telehealth care, which tees up this decision to have a devastating impact on the national access landscape. If this alarming decision stands, mifepristone access will be limited in every state and cause major disruptions to abortion provision and miscarriage management, including in states with legal protections.
“This baseless, devastating decision is the largest blow to abortion access nationwide since the fall of Roe v. Wade. Thousands of people nationwide rely on telehealth abortion care every single year, including the more than 50,000 patients who received care from Massachusetts providers in 2025 alone. Anti-abortion extremists know that telehealth is the new frontier for ensuring access to abortion post-Dobbs, and this decision is their latest attempt to dismantle this essential health care nationwide,” said Claire Teylouni and Taylor St. Germain, Interim Co-Executive Directors for Reproductive Equity Now. “Mifepristone has been safely and effectively used for over 25 years, and telehealth care has served as a critical method for people to access the essential abortion care they want, need, and deserve. This decision not only defies science, but it is proof yet again that the Dobbs decision was never about leaving access to the states. The goal for the anti-abortion movement has always been to ban abortion access nationwide. We have faced attacks like this before — and we will not back down. We will find creative and innovative ways to ensure access to care, as we always have. We will keep pushing forward, with urgency and determination, because abortion will always exist and we will always fight for people’s ability to access care.”
Patients can still access medication abortion care with a misoprostol-only regimen via telehealth, which is a safe and effective way to terminate a pregnancy. Patients can also access care through in-person appointments in New England, and can learn more about options 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.
Mifepristone has a well-documented record of safety and efficacy, and has been used more than 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.
Misoprostol can be used alone to safely and legally end pregnancy, though it typically involves a different side-effect profile.
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