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The U.S. Supreme Court has once again stepped in to preserve nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone, temporarily blocking a lower court ruling that threatened to severely restrict how the drug is distributed across the country.

In an order issued Monday by Justice Samuel Alito, the Court extended its pause on a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision until 5 p.m. Thursday. That lower court ruling had sided with Louisiana in challenging Biden-era rules that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed and mailed without requiring an in-person visit with a clinician.

The extension gives the justices three more days to determine their next steps in a case that could dramatically reshape access to medication abortion, particularly in states with strict abortion bans.

By maintaining the status quo for now, the Court is ensuring the pill remains widely available by mail while it continues deliberating the broader legal questions surrounding its distribution.

This development highlights just how contentious and legally complex the fight over chemical abortions has become. Mifepristone is used in more than half of all abortions in the United States, and any restriction on its mail-order availability would have immediate and far-reaching consequences.

While the Supreme Court has bought more time before issuing a final ruling, the case represents another major flashpoint in the post-Roe v. Wade landscape. The outcome could either solidify easy nationwide access to the abortion pill or significantly curtail it, even in states where abortion remains legal.

With Thursday’s deadline approaching, all eyes are on the Court to see whether it will maintain broad access, impose new restrictions, or send the issue back down to lower courts for further litigation.

The stakes could hardly be higher — both for millions of women seeking medication abortions and for the ongoing national debate over reproductive rights.