The Supreme Court temporarily restored mail-order prescribing of the widely used abortion drug mifepristone Monday, pausing an appeals court decision that dramatically limited access to the pills.
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Why it matters: The stay of at least one week issued by Justice Samuel Alito doesn't settle an underlying legal challenge to rules for dispensing the drug that could make abortion access a top-tier issue heading into the midterms.
- But it's likely to reduce confusion among pharmacies, telehealth firms and providers over what's allowed, even in states where abortion is legal.
Driving the news: The stay was in response to requests from drugmakers Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro to restore access to mifepristone via teleprescribing and the mails.
- Responses from parties in the underlying case have until Thursday to file responses.
The order was in response to a 5th Circuit ruling on Friday, which sided with Louisiana in a case challenging Biden administration rules that expanded access to mifepristone.
- Louisiana argued the federal rules undermined its laws protecting unborn human life and caused it to spend Medicaid funds on emergency care for women harmed by mifepristone.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.