SCOTUS maintains telehealth abortion status quo

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, May 14, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision staying the 5^th Circuit Court's decision from May 1. As a result of this decision, direct-to-patient access to Mifepristone via mail and certified pharmacy is maintained while the case is litigated in lower courts.

This means that Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW) can continue to dispense Mifepristone to patients via mail and certified pharmacy.

Mifepristone is part of a common two-medication regimen for ending pregnancy. This two-drug medication abortion regimen involving Mifepristone comprises the most common abortion regimen in the U.S. Proven safe and effective, Mifepristone has held FDA approval for 25 years. Research has shown that medication abortion provided through telehealth is just as safe and effective as providing the medication in-person at a health center.

In response to Thursday's ruling, PPMW President and CEO Dr. Laura Meyers had this to say:

"We are relieved that yesterday's decision allows patients to continue receiving Mifepristone by mail and pharmacy. Still, we cannot ignore the politically motivated nature of this baseless attack on medication abortion. Mifepristone is extremely safe and effective, whether dispensed in-person, by mail, or by pharmacy – it should never have been threatened to begin with. Anti-abortion extremists are trying to make it harder for everyone, everywhere to get an abortion. PPMW will continue to stand for patients and their right to essential abortion care, no matter what."

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW) provides high-quality and affordable reproductive health care, promotes education programs that empower all individuals to make informed reproductive choices, and protects the right to make those choices. PPMW is the oldest and largest provider of family planning services in Metropolitan Washington, serving Washington, DC; Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland; and Northern Virginia.

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SOURCE Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C.