Supreme Court: No More Abortion Pill by Mail

Justices say women must obtain mifepristone in person despite coronavirus pandemic
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 13, 2021 12:07 AM CST
Supreme Court: No More Abortion Pill by Mail
In this Nov. 5, 2020, file photo the Supreme Court is seen in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The Supreme Court ordered Tuesday that women must visit a doctor's office, hospital, or clinic in person to obtain an abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic, though similar rules for other drugs have been suspended during the public health emergency. Eight days before President Trump leaves office, the justices granted a Trump administration appeal to be able to enforce a longstanding rule on getting the abortion pill, mifepristone, the AP reports. The pill need not be taken in the presence of medical professionals. The court split 6-3, with the liberal justices in dissent. The new administration could put the in-person requirement on hold after Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. A federal judge had suspended the rule since July because of the coronavirus, in response to a lawsuit from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other groups.

US District Judge Theodore Chuang affirmed the suspension of the rule in December, saying public health risks for patients had increased as COVID-19 cases soared. The FDA approved mifepristone to be used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol, to end an early pregnancy or manage a miscarriage. The administration has suspended similar in-person visits for other drugs, including opioids in some cases, but refused to relax the rules for getting the abortion pill. In October, the Supreme Court allowed women to continue getting the abortion pill by mail but deferred any substantive ruling. Georgetown University law professor Preston D. Mitchum wrote on Facebook, "Never mind that mifepristone is the only one of more than 20,000 FDA-approved drugs where patients are required to pick up in person, sign a form, and take at home. This will impact BIPOC and rural communities. Meanwhile, SCOTUS is still holding telephonic meetings. Furious."

(More abortion pill stories.)

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