The Supreme Court has temporarily restored access to the abortion pill by mail while it grapples with emergency appeals on whether to require in-person doctor’s visits for abortion pill prescriptions. The case stems from a case in Louisiana which challenged a 2023 FDA rule that permitted doctors to prescribe the abortion pill mifepristone by telehealth and send it by mail. Louisiana has strict abortion restrictions and the state argued that access to the abortion pill by mail undermined its laws.

Justice Samuel Alito signed the order to temporarily restore access to the pill through telehealth while the court reviews the case. If the ban returns, it could be the most sweeping restriction against abortion throughout the nation. The majority of abortions in the United States are done through medication, with women in states like Alabama with strict abortion restrictions able to access it through out-of-state doctors. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, more women have maintained access to abortion through telehealth than traveling out of state, according to one report.

Abortion advocates celebrated the stay as a victory to access. “It is good to see SCOTUS issue this stay to immediately restore access by mail to mifepristone. But this fight is just beginning,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, responding to the ruling on X. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, however, remained firm. “Big abortion pharma claims they need an emergency stay because they will lose massive amounts of money if they can’t kill more babies quickly and efficiently by mail without medical oversight,” Murrill said in a statement. “The administrative stay is temporary, and I am confident life and the law will win in the end.” Pro-life advocates, particularly those who identify as “abortion abolitionists” have been vocal in their opposition to access to the abortion pill, calling for an outright nationwide ban.

The news was met with mixed reactions on social media. “Godless people think killing babies is a mother’s choice… Satan loves his sacrifices,” wrote one user on X. “Restoring access to the abortion pill Mifepristone was the right decision by the Supreme Court. But it is only temporary,” wrote  New Jersey Rep Josh Gottheimer. “Let’s be clear: without access to safe and legal reproductive health care, women will die. The Supreme Court must uphold critical access for women across the country. Nothing should come between a woman, her doctor, and her faith.”