Reproductive Freedom for All Condemns Fifth Circuit Decision Gutting Telehealth Access to Mifepristone Nationwide - Reproductive Freedom for All®

Formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America

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Reproductive Freedom for All Condemns Fifth Circuit Decision Gutting Telehealth Access to Mifepristone Nationwide

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 1, 2026
Contact: [email protected]

Reproductive Freedom for All Condemns Fifth Circuit Decision Gutting Telehealth Access to Mifepristone Nationwide

Washington, DC — Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with anti-abortion extremists and reinstated medically unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone—a safe and effective medication that has been FDA-approved for more than 25 years and is used in the majority of abortion care in the United States. Two of the judges on the panel that issued this decision were nominated by Trump during his first administration and had robust anti-abortion records prior to their confirmation.

Next, the case will be appealed to the Supreme Court. While litigation proceeds, this ruling effectively bans mail delivery and pharmacy distribution of mifepristone nationwide. By forcing patients to pick up the medication in person at a clinic, hospital, or medical office, the court is dictating medical practice and overriding state laws—even in states where abortion is legal and constitutionally protected, and telehealth has been successfully utilized for years.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, telehealth has been a lifeline for people in states with abortion bans, and for anyone who faces barriers to accessing in-person care, disproportionately impacting people living in rural areas, low-income communities, and communities of color. In 2023, pharmacies filled about 2,700 mifepristone prescriptions monthly—fewer than 2% ​of those prescriptions were filled at physical retail pharmacies, underscoring that banning mail access effectively cuts off the primary way patients receive this care.

In states with abortion bans, average travel time to a clinic has already quadrupled—from under three hours to more than 11. In the first half of 2025, more than one in four abortions in the U.S. were provided via telemedicine using mifepristone.

Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:

“The court’s decision moves us one step closer to a national abortion ban. It is now much more difficult for people to access abortion care. Anti-abortion politicians know their policies are unpopular, so they are using every lever of government they can. Louisiana built this case on debunked, junk science. The safety of mifepristone has never actually been in question. As this case moves towards the U.S. Supreme Court, we will fight until every person has access to the care they need.”

In January, the Trump administration asked the court to pause this lawsuit until after the FDA completes its baseless, politically motivated “review” of mifepristone. Make no mistake: this pause does not mean Trump and his allies are backing down. They are simply stalling to protect their broader strategy of weaponizing HHS and the FDA to force politically motivated restrictions on mifepristone nationwide. Trump’s ultimate goal is a nationwide abortion ban, and he’s using every lever of the government—Congress, the executive branch, and the courts—as testing grounds to find the quickest route to make it a reality.

The state politicians attacking medication abortion in court and the Trump administration officials ordering a sham review of the FDA’s mifepristone regulations have the same agenda to end abortion access nationwide. This court has chosen to side with those extremists over the FDA’s scientific expertise and the medication’s decades-long track record of safety and efficacy.

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For over 55 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.