By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A US appeals court on Friday temporarily halted mail delivery of mifepristone, the medication used in the majority of abortions in the United States, a decision the distribution company said it would challenge in the Supreme Court.
A three-man panel judges of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered the order in a lawsuit brought by the southern state of Louisiana, which has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country, against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The order by the conservative-dominated court requires women seeking abortions anywhere in the United States to obtain Mifepristone in person from health clinics and bans delivery by mail or through a pharmacy.
Danco Laboratories, one of two companies distributing the drug in the United States, asked for a one-week pause on the appeals court order while it prepares to bring an emergency case to the US Supreme Court.
“Danco requests a temporary administrative stay of the Panel’s Order for one week… to allow Danco time in which to seek relief in the United States Supreme Court,” according to a court filing.
The appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that allowed Mifepristone to continue to be delivered by mail while the FDA conducts a review of its regulations regarding the drug.
Proponents of reviewing Mifepristone’s safety have cited a study — which was not peer-reviewed and was published on a website, not in a scientific journal — conducted by a conservative think-tank.
The FDA originally approved mifepristone in 2000. It is the most common method for abortion care in the United States and is also routinely used for managing early miscarriage.
Mifepristone, which prevents pregnancy progression, and misoprostol, which empties the uterus, are approved to terminate a pregnancy up to 70 days of gestation in the United States.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill welcomed the appeals court decision, calling it a “Victory for Life!”
“The Biden abortion cartel facilitated the deaths of thousands of Louisiana babies (and millions in other states) through illegal mail-order abortion pills,” Murrill said. “Today, that nightmare is over.”
Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, condemned the appeals court ruling.
“This isn’t about science — it’s about making abortion as difficult, expensive, and unreachable as possible,” Northup said in a statement.
