A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone but not remove it from the market entirely, partially upholding a lower court’s decision.
The decision from the three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would effectively block mail-order prescriptions of the pill. However, access will remain unchanged for now, as the Supreme Court issued an emergency order this spring to preserve the status quo while the case goes through the appeals process.
The case is all but assured to head to the highest court, which last year overturned Roe v. Wade. Since the ruling, 14 states have implemented abortion bans and another 11 have imposed limits, some up to six weeks of pregnancy.
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