In a recent decision, a federal appeals court panel has imposed restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone. The ruling would prevent the drug from being prescribed through telemedicine or dispensed through the mail. However, the decision will not take effect until the Supreme Court ultimately decides the case.

The three-judge panel of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld part of a decision made by a federal judge in Texas, nullifying the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the pill 23 years ago. Despite this, the court also kept the FDA's approval in place, as well as the approval of the generic version of the drug.

The main impact of this decision, if upheld by the Supreme Court, would be to reverse recent changes made by the FDA that allowed patients to obtain the abortion pill without visiting a doctor in person. Patients would now have to make three medical visits and would not be able to receive the pills through the mail.

The availability of telemedicine and mail prescriptions has significantly expanded the use of medication abortions, which are now used in over half of pregnancy terminations in the United States. The case originated from a lawsuit filed by opponents of abortion seeking to block access to abortion pills. In November, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, an anti-abortion group, brought a case against the FDA, alleging safety concerns regarding minors and overstepping of regulatory authority.

In April, a Texas federal judge ruled in favor of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, revoking the FDA's approval of mifepristone. The availability of mifepristone was protected by an emergency order from the Supreme Court in April, maintaining the pill's availability during the appeals process.

The recent decision by the appeals court will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court for review. The ongoing battle over mifepristone is one of the most significant abortion rights cases since the overturn of Roe v Wade last year. Since then, an increasing number of states have attempted to restrict access to mifepristone.

Republican lawmakers have also tried to limit access to the medication on a federal level, with a Republican-supported spending bill including provisions to curtail access to the pill via mail. Abortion rights groups have condemned the recent ruling, emphasizing the safety of mifepristone and the importance of medication-induced abortions.

The fight over mifepristone has become a major front in the ongoing battle over abortion in the United States, with pharmaceutical companies and abortion rights advocates opposing efforts to strip mifepristone of its FDA approval. The future of women's access to the medication now rests in the hands of the Supreme Court.