WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court in a ruling today imposed severe nationwide restrictions on mifepristone, blocking the medication abortion drug from being dispensed through the mail or via telemedicine appointments.

By reinstating outdated, medically unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is cutting off one of the most accessible, safe and effective forms of abortion care, said Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. 

“This is how you make legal health care impossible to access. For many patients, receiving medication by mail isn’t a convenience — it’s the only way for them to obtain health care. The decision is also deeply out of step with both the public and fact-based science,” Goss Graves said. 

“Medication abortion is safe, telehealth works, and the majority of people in this country support access to both. This ruling is just the latest attack in a coordinated, nationwide campaign to eliminate abortion access for everyone in this country, one court case at a time. And the consequences will fall hardest on those already facing barriers to care, including people living in rural communities, people with low incomes, and survivors of violence.”

In February, NWLC signed on to an amicus brief on behalf of more than 100 reproductive rights, health, and justice movement organizations in the case.