This will help those of you who worried that the Supreme Court might uphold the block on Mifepristone prescribed by telehealth and posted. Only two of the justices, Alito and Thomas support it. The rest said that it can’t be blocked while the case continues.
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/14/nx-s1-5821591/mifepristone-supreme-court-louisiana-telehealth
And video here:
This doesn’t say what will happen eventually with the underlying case but it’s an early look on how SCOTUS might vote if the case comes to them later on. Two definitely support. The remaining 7 likely to oppose.
Mifepristone is not the only abortion pill. The alternative is misoprostol which is less effective with more side effects like nausea and often prescribed together with mifepristone.
If Mifepristone is ever banned from telehealth they will switch to misoprostol
After the Fifth Circuit ruling, some telehealth abortion services immediately stopped prescribing and shipping mifepristone. Instead, they began sending only misoprostol, which is the second drug used in the typical medication abortion regimen. It can be used for abortion on its own and is safe, although it is considered slightly less effective and more prone to causing side effects like nausea. On Monday, services resumed prescribing mifepristone after the Supreme Court temporarily restored access.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/well/abortion-pill-mifepristone-supreme-court-louisiana.html
It’s not about in person prescription of mifepristone. It’s a drug that’s appoved by the FDA and doctors can prescribe it.
It’s about sending it by post without an in person prescription. The FDA used to require an in person prescription and then dropped that requirement and the question was about whethr they need to return to that requirement.
Some people need mifepristone to treat various medical conditions, not for abortion.
They are not affected at all by any decision on this, so long as it was presribed in person, same also for anyone in a state where it’s legal to prescribe it for abortion.
The Trump administration did NOT support the case against mifepristone. That’s because many voters key to the mid terms support abortion rights.
It’s doing a review of safety which will not complete until after the midterms.
QUOTE STARTS
The Trump administration has not said in this case, or in public statements, whether it supports keeping in place the regulations that allow for pills to be mailed, which were issued under the Biden administration. The Trump administration has also not commented on the Fifth Circuit ruling, and it did not file an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court like its co- defendants, the mifepristone manufacturers, did.
That posture may reflect that this is a politically tricky issue for the Trump administration. Its hard-core Republican base is anti-abortion, but many voters who are key to the midterm elections support abortion rights. Political observers say that the Trump administration does not want to be seen as too permissive or too harsh on abortion.
Legal experts say that a court ruling dictating decisions for a federal agency sets a precedent that could open the door for other states to challenge federal agencies if they disagree with their policies and regulation.
…
More than 100 studies and years of F.D.A. reviews have consistently found that mifepristone is safe and that serious complications from taking it are rare. But under pressure from some Republican attorneys general and lawmakers who oppose abortion, the Trump administration said in September that it would review the safety of mifepristone.
Administration officials recently told The New York Times that the review would probably be finished toward the end of this year. If the Louisiana case is paused until then, it would likely mean that any outcome of the F.D.A. review would be less of an issue in the midterm elections, at a time when Republicans are struggling to maintain control of Congress and restricting abortion is not considered a broadly winning issue in many races.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/well/abortion-pill-mifepristone-supreme-court-louisiana.html
If it comes back to the Supreme Court - that wouldn’t be a decision until next summer at the earliest unles expedited which is unlikely.
If the Supreme Court ever blocks mifepristone via post, the suppliers will mail out misoprostol instead which is less effective with more side effects like nausea and often prescribed together with mifepristone.
After the Fifth Circuit ruling, some telehealth abortion services immediately stopped prescribing and shipping mifepristone. Instead, they began sending only misoprostol, which is the second drug used in the typical medication abortion regimen. It can be used for abortion on its own and is safe, although it is considered slightly less effective and more prone to causing side effects like nausea. On Monday, services resumed prescribing mifepristone after the Supreme Court temporarily restored access.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/well/abortion-pill-mifepristone-supreme-court-louisiana.html
But it won’t block it for now and this decision is pretty much how they were expected to rule and you can’t really deduce the final decision from this but it’s an indication thta they are unlikely to block it at the end of the case either.
