The conservative New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked mailing abortion pills (Mifepristone) nationwide and is requiring that abortion pill sbe distributed only in-person at clinics, which means women and girls in anti-abortion states are effectively banned from obtaining abortions, reports MS NOW and NPR:
The 5th Circuit just blocked abortion pills nationwide. Men in robes, appointed by men, are controlling women’s bodies.
— Jennifer Get In Good Trouble (@TheJenniWren) May 1, 2026
A patriarchal Trump judge made this call. Medication abortion is safe & accounts for the majority of U.S. abortions. The same six-three court that killed Roe… pic.twitter.com/H83F1VBslj
Since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed enforcement of abortion bans, prescriptions by mail have become a major way that abortions are provided — including to states where bans are in place.
“This is going to affect patients’ access to abortion and miscarriage care in every state in the nation,” said Julia Kaye, an ACLU lawyer. “When telemedicine is restricted, rural communities, people with low incomes, people with disabilities, survivors of intimate partner violence and communities of color suffer the most.”
Mifepristone was approved in 2000 as a safe and effective way to end early pregnancies. It is typically used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.