US Appeals Court Blocks Mail Delivery of Abortion Pills

A US appeals court on Friday temporarily suspended the delivery by mail of a drug containing mifepristone, one of two medicines commonly used in the United States for medical termination of pregnancy.

According to AFP, the lawsuit against the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was filed by the state of Louisiana, which has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the US.

The ruling means women seeking an abortion must obtain mifepristone in person at medical facilities. It also bars distribution by mail or collection from pharmacies.

In doing so, the appeals court overturned a lower court decision that had allowed the drug to be mailed while the FDA’s rules were under review.

The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000. It is the most commonly used method of abortion in the US and is prescribed in combination with misoprostol, which causes the uterus to expel its contents. The combination is approved for use within 70 days of pregnancy.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill welcomed the decision, calling it a “victory for life”. She criticized the policy of former President Joe Biden’s administration, which she said had allowed abortion pills to be distributed by mail.

(AFP, tasr)