Court restricts abortion access across U.S. by blocking mailing of mifepristone

A federal appeals court has restricted access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by blocking the mailing of Mifepristone prescriptions.

Friday’s (May 1, 2026) unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requires that the abortion pill be distributed only in person and at clinics, overruling regulations set by the federal Food and Drug Administration.