NPR News: 05-01-2026 11PM EDT

A panel of judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ended telemedicine access to mifepristone nationwide, effective immediately. The ruling, which doctors and attorneys are scrambling to understand, came in a case brought by Louisiana against the FDA and centers on the agency’s decision to remove an in-person requirement for patients receiving the medication, which is used for both abortion and miscarriage management. The drug makers are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Telemedicine Abortion Blocked Nationwide

The case originated when Louisiana sued the FDA over its decision to lift the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone. A district court judge had put the case on hold in April, but a three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit sided with Louisiana. The ruling reinstates the in-person requirement for the entire country, effectively ending telemedicine prescriptions for the drug. Doctors have argued that mifepristone is safe, that the in-person requirement is medically unnecessary, and that it makes it harder for women to access abortion care. The next step is an expected appeal to the Supreme Court.

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