Federal Court Blocks Abortion Drug Mifepristone From Being Sent Via Mail
Authored by Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times,
Americans won’t be able to receive abortion drug mifepristone in the mail, according to a temporary ruling by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court on May 1.
“FDA conceded it had failed to adequately study whether remotely prescribing mifepristone is safe,” the three-judge panel in New Orleans ruled on Friday.
The decision will block the drug from being shipped via mail until the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can ensure the drugs are “safe and effective” before they can be marketed in the United States.
Mifepristone, often called “the abortion pill,” is part of a two-drug regimen which allows a woman “to end a pregnancy up to 70 days into gestation,” according to Johns Hopkins University.
The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000, but doctors were only allowed to prescribe it after three in-person visits.
The procedure changed in 2023 after the Biden administration expanded access to “medication abortion,” which provided a pathway for patients to avoid an in-person visit to the doctor and, instead, order the drug online to be shipped to their house.
The state of Louisiana challenged the rule in 2025, arguing the justification for allowing this was based on “flawed or nonexistent data.”
Louisiana alleged the medication “resulted in numerous illegal abortions” in the state and it also made women pay “thousands in Medicaid bills” for being harmed by mifepristone.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill called Friday’s decision a “victory for life!”
“The Biden abortion cartel facilitated the deaths of thousands of Louisiana babies (and millions in other states) through illegal mail-order abortion pills. Today, that nightmare is over, thanks to the hard work of my office and our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom,” Murrill wrote.
“I look forward to continuing to defend women and babies as this case continues.”
A bill to ban mifepristone was introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in March.
“The science is clear: The chemical abortion drug is inherently dangerous to women and prone to abuse. Yet major companies like Danco Laboratories are making billions off it,” Hawley said.
Hawley’s bill would also allow women to sue manufacturers for damages if they are harmed by the chemical abortion.
Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.) criticized the federal court decision on social media.
“Mifepristone is safe and reliable,” Ramirez wrote in an X post on Friday.
“IT SAVES LIVES. Extremist attempts to control our bodies and restrict our choices make women less safe. The right to make decisions about our bodies and our healthcare are OURS. They don’t belong in the hands of judges or politicians.”