Federal Appeals Courtroom Blocks Mail-Order Abortion Tablets
A federal court issued a ruling today that temporarily blocked mail-order abortions and, if ultimately upheld, could save tens of thousands of babies from abortions.
The federal appeals court temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule allowing the abortion drug mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail, a victory for pro-life advocates working to protect women and unborn children from unregulated chemical abortions that bypass state laws protecting babies from abortions.
A panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled Friday that Louisiana would likely succeed in its challenge to the federal policy eliminating the longstanding in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone. The temporary order significantly curtails access to the drug nationwide and particularly in states that have banned abortion.
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The ruling follows a request from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill for the appeals court to issue a stay or injunction halting the policy.
Murrill said: “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. I look forward to continuing to defend women and babies as this case continues.”
Leading pro-life groups praised the ruling in comments to LifeNews.
“This decision is an important step toward restoring common-sense medical safeguards that were recklessly discarded by the Biden administration in the rush to expand abortion pill access,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Mail-order abortion drugs bypass basic protections such as physical exams, accurate pregnancy dating, screening for ectopic pregnancy, and the abortion-by-mail scheme complicates emergency care.”
Tobias continued, “Women deserve better than an abortion-by-mail system that prioritizes ideology over safety.”
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser issued the following statement:
“Today’s ruling is a huge victory for victims and survivors of Biden’s reckless mail-order abortion drug regime. We are so grateful for the tenacity of Attorney General Liz Murrill, abortion drug coercion survivor Rosalie Markezich, and all our allies demanding action. Women and children suffer and state sovereignty is violated every day the FDA allows abortion drugs to flood the mail – harms that are no mere accident, but predictable outcomes of the FDA’s unscientific removal of safeguards like in-person doctor visits.
“Mail-order abortion drugs are the biggest factor in rising abortion rates after Dobbs and a new wave of violence toward pregnant women, fueled by easy online access to deadly drugs. More and more women like Rosalie are coming forward, fighting for justice. It’s shameful that the Trump administration’s inaction has forced pro-life states to take their battle to the federal courts. The FDA does not need a year or more to complete a comprehensive study before it can take dangerous abortion drugs out of the mail – that’s just common sense.
“Ignoring the dire abortion drug crisis won’t make it go away. With the enthusiasm of one third of the most engaged primary voters at risk if the GOP abandons pro-life principles, abortion drugs and the morale of the pro-life base are guaranteed to be front and center in the midterm elections. It never should have gone this far, but the plaintiffs’ case is compelling and we believe they will prevail.”
A lower court had previously determined that Louisiana is likely to prevail on claims that federal agencies acted unlawfully in loosening safety restrictions on the drug but paused immediate action while the FDA completed a safety review.
Despite Louisiana’s 2022 ban on abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, roughly 1,000 abortions per month have continued in the state through out-of-state telehealth prescriptions and mailed pills, killing hundreds of babies and injuring women.
Nationwide, more than 91,000 abortions were obtained by mail in pro-life states last year.
Pro-life leaders have warned that the mail-order system endangers women by bypassing medical oversight for serious complications while enabling the destruction of unborn children without accountability. The temporary block restores the previous requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person.
