Abortion Pills Still Widely Available by Mail in the U.S., Despite Fifth Circuit Ruling
Late on Friday, May 1, judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals—notorious among abortion-rights advocates and legal commentators for being highly conservative and hostile to abortion access—entered a nationwide ban on U.S. clinicians dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone by mail after a telehealth consultation.
The court’s ruling reimposes a medically unnecessary requirement lifted by the FDA in 2021 that patients must pick up the medication in person from a clinician—overriding a lower court’s ruling from April, as well as the advice of medical experts. The ruling applies across the United States.
While some clinicians in the U.S. have said they will shift to a misoprostol-alone protocol—which is very safe and effective, but has more side effects—women can still obtain abortion pills with mifepristone and misoprostol from international telehealth providers for a sliding fee, community networks for free and websites selling pills, starting at $85. The organization Plan C lists reliable providers on their website at plancpills.org.
The post Abortion Pills Still Widely Available by Mail in the U.S., Despite Fifth Circuit Ruling appeared first on Ms. Magazine.
5/1/2026 7:02:29 PM