In the United States, the return of the abortion issue to the Supreme Court has sparked confusion and fear among many patients and healthcare providers, as access to a pill commonly used in the majority of the country’s abortions could be severely restricted. Known as mifepristone, this medication is used in combination with another pill in medication abortions and also plays a role in the management of miscarriages.
Although it has been possible since 2021 to have it prescribed by telemedicine and sent through the mail across the country, this option was temporarily suspended on May 1 by an ultra-conservative appeals court, granting a powerful victory to anti-abortion activists. This suspension was quickly challenged by the pill manufacturers and subsequently suspended by the Supreme Court. The justices of the highest judicial body in the country, which is mostly conservative, must now decide whether to extend this suspension, which will expire at the end of Monday, and whether they wish to take up the case for review and when.
Context: Debate over access to abortion medication
Fact Check: Mifepristone is used in medication abortions and miscarriage management.
“One in four people in the United States who had an abortion with the help of a physician in early 2025 did so via telemedicine, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a leading organization on the subject. Banning this option of prescription and mail delivery would therefore require women across the country to personally go to a medical center to receive the pill, hindering access to abortion, especially for women living in medical deserts or in states where abortion is prohibited. “A national ban on access to mifepristone through telemedicine and mail delivery would simply have tragic and monumental consequences,” emphasized lawyer Julie Dahlstrom.
This reversal could come from a court or from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which initiated a reevaluation of the safety of mifepristone under the Trump administration at the request of the anti-abortion camp. The mere debate around the subject fuels confusion and distrust among patients, lamented gynecologist Kristyn Brandi in New Jersey, stating, “It perpetuates the myth of the shady doctor performing abortions in an alley,” while “that’s not the reality of care today.”
Context: Impact of banning mifepristone
Fact Check: Access to medication abortion could be hindered.
Facing attacks from the anti-abortion camp against mifepristone, healthcare providers are preparing to do without it by using only the second pill in the protocol, misoprostol, which could still be prescribed remotely and sent. This backup option is safe and effective, according to Kristyn Brandi, but healthcare professionals prefer to use both pills as mifepristone speeds up the process, reduces pain, and bleeding.
Banning mifepristone from the equation would constitute “a new setback in the care of pregnant people,” warned Helen Weems, a caregiver who performs abortions in the rural state of Montana. Such a measure would affect American women wishing to terminate their pregnancies, as well as those facing a miscarriage, as mifepristone could also be prescribed in that case.
Context: Potential impact on medical research
Fact Check: Mifepristone has been used for over 25 years.
This could also hinder medical progress by impeding research on the subject as well as on a range of health issues like uterine fibroids, feared Kristyn Brandi, as medications often have various applications. “We cannot make progress if every two months we have to revisit this debate about a medication we use for one among many things,” criticized the doctor.
Studies have already demonstrated the safety and efficacy of mifepristone, which has been used for over 25 years, noted Jen Castle from Planned Parenthood. “Let’s just remember […] that we shouldn’t be here at all,” she insisted. And she assured, “Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, we will continue to ensure that people get the care they need.”
