Court temporarily blocks shipment of chemical abortion pills nationwide 

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the nationwide shipment of chemical abortion pills without an in-person doctor’s consultation, according to a ruling released Friday afternoon, as Reuters first reported.

“Victory for Life! U.S. Fifth Circuit blocks Biden abortion regime that facilitated the death of thousands of Louisiana babies through mail-order abortion pills,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a post Friday.

“The Biden abortion cartel facilitated the deaths of thousands of Louisiana babies (and millions in other states) through illegal mail-order abortion pills,” Murrill continued. “Today, that nightmare is over, thanks to the hard work of my office and our friends at @ADFLegal. I look forward to continuing to defend women and babies as this case continues.”

Murrill brought the case against the Food and Drug Administration for a rule allowing the shipment of mifepristone, the chemical abortion drug, into Louisiana despite a state law against it. Under the Biden administration, the FDA stopped requiring an in-person doctor’s visit for the prescription of mifepristone, paving the way for the drugs to be shipped across the country, regardless of a state’s abortion laws.

A U.S. district judge halted the lawsuit in April to give the FDA time to report on its “ongoing review” of mifepristone, while still recognizing Louisiana’s legal standing and injury, as previously reported. The judge also found Louisiana is likely to succeed in its case and suffers ongoing irreparable harm from the shipment of mifepristone into the state.

Murrill appealed to the Fifth Circuit, and its three-judge panel ruled unanimously Friday that Louisiana is likely to prevail and granted a motion to stay. The ruling temporarily halts the mailing of abortion pills nationwide and found “the lower court erred in denying immediate relief” to Louisiana, according to a press release from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

“The public interest is not served by perpetuating a medical practice whose safety the agency admits was inadequately studied. Indeed, the public interest demands the opposite,” the ruling states.

While temporary, the ruling marks a major win for pro-life states across the country, whose laws have been undermined by the mail-order regime.

“Mail-order abortion drugs are the biggest factor in rising abortion rates after Dobbs and a new wave of violence toward pregnant women, fueled by easy online access to deadly drugs,” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “It’s shameful that the Trump administration’s inaction has forced pro-life states to take their battle to the federal courts. The FDA does not need a year or more to complete a comprehensive study before it can take dangerous abortion drugs out of the mail – that’s just common sense.

Recent studies indicate mifepristone is 22 times more dangerous to women than the FDA label currently advertises. More than 11% of women suffer serious adverse events, including hemorrhaging and sepsis, after taking mifepristone, as previously reported.