
Analysis: Andy Burnham's route back to the Commons is clearer - but one big hurdle remains
Andy Burnham's route back to Parliament is clearer, but a hurdle remains.

The Supreme Court has ruled to keep the abortion pill mifepristone available via telehealth while a case against the FDA continues. This decision maintains current access to the medication amid ongoing legal challenges.

Abortion-rights activists protested outside of the Supreme Court in March 2024, when the overall FDA authorization of the abortion pill mifepristone. It remained available after that case. Jose Luis Magana/AP
Jose Luis Magana/AP
The Supreme Court decided to keep the status quo in place for abortion access Thursday.
The high court's order means the abortion pill mifepristone will remain available via telehealth as a case brought by Louisiana against the Food and Drug Administration proceeds through the lower courts.
The Supreme Court stayed a May 1ruling from the New Orleans-based, U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which would have banned mifepristone from being mailed for the whole country.
Thursday's decision came in the form of order from the court issued around 5:30 p.m., about 30 minutes past a deadline the court set for itself.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented publicly.
The appeals court ruling would have re-instituted prescribing regulations from before the pandemic that required patients to receive mifepristone in person in a doctor's office or clinic.

The Supreme Court has ruled to keep mifepristone available via telehealth during ongoing legal proceedings.
The legal case against the FDA, initiated by Louisiana, challenges the authorization of mifepristone, which is currently being reviewed in lower courts.
The decision ensures that access to mifepristone remains unchanged, allowing patients to obtain the medication through telehealth services.

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The FDA determined that in-person dispensing of mifepristone was medically unnecessary in 2021. The state of Louisiana sued the FDA last fall, arguing that telemedicine access undermines the state's abortion ban.
This week, FDA's commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned under pressure from the White House. It's not clear if this lawsuit played a role in his ouster, but anti-abortion rights groups were vocal about their displeasure with how little he did to restrict abortion in that role.
This is a developing story and will be updated.