Supreme Court temporarily restores full access to abortion pill

BREAKING NEWSMay. 4, 2026, 3:01 PM UTCSupreme CourtSupreme CourtSupreme Court temporarily restores full access to abortion pillThe decision means mifepristone remains available nationwide without an in-person meeting required while litigation continues.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00An abortion rights advocate shows a box of mifepristone outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in 2024.Shuran Huang / The Washington Post via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Lawrence HurleyWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday provisionally blocked a lower court decision that would have limited availability nationwide of the abortion pill mifepristone.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.In two brief orders, Justice Samuel Alito, one of the court's conservatives, said the decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would remain on hold until at least May 11.That gives the high court time to consider next steps in the case as it weighs separate emergency requests filed by drug makers Danco and GenBioPro.The nationwide availability of mifepristone was cast into jeopardy on Friday when the appeals court granted Louisiana's request to void Biden administration rules that allowed the drug to be administered without an in-person meeting, meaning it can in theory be mailed anywhere in the country, even in states with strict abortion bans.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleLawrence HurleyLawrence Hurley is a senior Supreme Court reporter for NBC News.