Judge Allows Abortion Pill to Continue Being Mailed for Now

FRIDAY, April 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. District Judge David Joseph turned down Louisiana officials’ request to stop mail order delivery of the drug mifepristone nationwide while the case is still in court.The decision is not final, and the case has been put on hold for now, The Associated Press reported.Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill had asked the court to pause rules from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that allow mifepristone to be ordered online via telehealth and dispensed by mail.The judge declined, but said the issue could be revisited later.He also told the FDA to report back within six months as the review of the drug continues.“Should the agency fail to complete its review … the Court’s analysis … will inevitably change,” he wrote.Murrill said she plans to appeal, arguing that the current rules cause harm to Louisiana, where abortion is banned at all stages of pregnancy, The Associated Press said.The judge said the state’s arguments could still succeed in the future, writing that the plaintiffs are "likely to succeed on the merits."At the same time, abortion rights groups said the ruling isn't final.“From the courts to the Trump administration to state legislatures across the country, mifepristone and abortion access are very much still under attack,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said.Mifepristone is commonly used with another drug, misoprostol, for medication abortions and to manage miscarriages.Access to the pill has become a major issue in the wake of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban abortion.But telehealth has played a growing role. One study showed that by the end of 2024, about one in four abortions was accessed through telehealth, a fivefold increase in two years, The Associated Press reported.What's more, a 2025 study revealed that women in states with abortion bans were more likely to get pills via mail than to travel to another state.Some officials have argued that mailing abortion pills could increase risks, including instances where someone is forced to take them.The case will stay on hold while the FDA continues its review.More informationJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has more on the abortion pill mifepristone.SOURCE: The Associated Press, April 7, 2026.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Judge Allows Abortion Pill to Continue Being Mailed for Now

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