NCRTL Applauds Court Decision to Restore Some Safety Standards for Abortion Pill

This ruling will help prevent your daughters, granddaughters, underaged girls and men with nefarious intentions from obtaining the abortion pill through the mail and telemedicine.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2026

North Carolina Right to Life Applauds Federal Appeals Court Injunction Restoring Safety Standards for Abortion Drug Distribution

Greensboro, North Carolina – North Carolina Right to Life today welcomed the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to issue an injunction restoring important safeguards on the distribution of the abortion drug mifepristone that were relaxed under the Biden Administration. The court’s ruling requires that the drug once again be dispensed in person by a certified medical provider, rather than being prescribed through telehealth and shipped by mail.

The case was brought by a coalition of states led by Louisiana, which challenged changes made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in recent years that expanded access to chemical abortion drugs. The states argued that the FDA failed to adequately consider patient safety risks when it removed longstanding safeguards, including the in-person dispensing requirement. The Fifth Circuit concluded that the states had raised serious legal and medical concerns warranting immediate relief while the case proceeds through the courts.

“We believe this is a prudent and responsible step toward protecting women’s health and ensuring appropriate medical oversight,” said Dr. Bill Pincus, President of North Carolina Right to Life. “Powerful drugs with known risks should not be distributed casually through the mail without direct physician involvement. Patients deserve careful evaluation, informed consent, and proper follow-up care.”. Abortion is not healthcare, as in every abortion, an unborn baby dies.

North Carolina Right to Life noted that growing evidence has raised concerns about the real-world safety of chemical abortion. In April 2025, the Ethics and Public Policy Center released a large analysis of more than 865,000 insurance claims involving women who used mifepristone between 2017 and 2023. The study reported that approximately 10.9 percent of women experienced a serious adverse event within 45 days, including hemorrhage, infection, or sepsis.

These findings suggest that complications in real-world practice occur more frequently than earlier clinical trial summaries indicated, and they underscore the importance of direct medical supervision when prescribing and dispensing abortion drugs. The study authors urged the restoration of stronger patient safety protocols and improved reporting of complications.

North Carolina Right to Life emphasized that the court’s decision does not remove the drug from the market but restores commonsense safety standards that were in place for many years.

“This ruling reinforces a basic principle,” Dr. Pincus added. “Medicine should be practiced with appropriate safeguards, not reduced to a mail-order transaction. Women deserve the highest standard of care and the protection of responsible medical practice.” In addition, FDA labeling for mifepristone is limited to 70 days of gestation, which is 10 weeks. Prescribing beyond that point is outside the FDA-approved indication and is considered off-label use.

North Carolina Right to Life will continue to advocate for policies that protect both women and their unborn children and that promote high standards of medical care across the state and nation. In every abortion, a preborn baby dies.

About North Carolina Right to Life North Carolina Right to Life is the state’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to protecting innocent human life from conception to natural death through education, legislation, and advocacy.