Opinion: Telehealth abortion with mifepristone continues, with backup plans still in place
Why this matters: health reporting relevant to everyday decisions and well-being.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that one of the drugs in a highly effective two-drug regime for medication abortion can remain accessible via telehealth and mail — for now. The decision comes after a chaotic weekend in April in which the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals prohibited providers from remotely prescribing or mailing mifepristone. The plaintiff in the case is the State of Louisiana, which claims that telehealth prescribing of a mifepristone undermines that state’s strict abortion ban. The 5th Circuit ruled that former Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) prohibiting remote prescribing of mifepristone, which the FDA lifted in 2021, should be reinstated while Louisiana’s case proceeds. The Supreme Court has now reversed that order — although the case will continue to make its way through the courts.Read the rest…