The Supreme Court has temporarily restored access to the abortion pill by mail in the United States.
A lower-court ruling had reinstated a Food and Drug Administration requirement that patients visit a health care provider in person to obtain mifepristone.
The Supreme Court intervention blocks that in-person mandate for now, allowing mail delivery of the medication to continue while legal challenges proceed.
Mifepristone is one of two drugs used in medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of all abortions in the country.
The FDA initially removed the in-person dispensing requirement in 2021, citing safety data that showed the drug could be used effectively through telehealth appointments.
Several anti-abortion groups challenged that change, arguing the agency overstepped its authority by relaxing access to the drug.
A federal judge in Texas sided with those groups in April 2023, suspending the FDA’s approval of mifepristone and reinstating the in-person rule.
The case quickly moved through appeals courts, creating confusion over whether the pill could be prescribed remotely or by mail across different states.
The Supreme Court’s latest action buys time for the Biden administration to mount its defense of broader access to mifepristone.
Oral arguments on the broader dispute are scheduled to be heard later this year, with a final ruling expected by June.
