A three-judge federal appeals panel in New Orleans pressed Louisiana on September 9 over whether it can legally blame the FDA for mifepristone being mailed into the state, and it issued no decision. For now, the medication remains available through telehealth prescriptions and by mail.
The drug is part of the most common U.S. medication abortion regimen and is also used in miscarriage care, which is why the case reaches beyond states with abortion bans. Louisiana wants the FDA's in-person dispensing requirement restored nationwide. That would require patients, including those in states that protect abortion access, to obtain mifepristone in person rather than through the mail.
