Plan C Statement on Louisiana vs. the FDA

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling today in the case of Louisiana vs. the FDA that attempts to block distribution of mifepristone by mail. Mifepristone is one of two medications commonly used for early abortion. In the first half of 2025, abortion pills via telehealth accounted for 27% of all US abortions, or 1 in 3 abortions with pills by mail, making this ruling a direct attack on modern access to abortion care. 

This politically motivated case disputing the safety of mifepristone is a political attempt by the anti-abortion movement to prevent access to telehealth abortion. These extremists are presenting widely disputed science in an effort to discredit mifepristone, a medication proven safe and effective by more than 100 studies. 

Despite the case’s state-based name, the case and this ruling are attempting to change federal regulation of mifepristone, which could severely limit access to mifepristone across the country. 

This decision does not immediately eliminate access to telehealth abortion (abortion pills by mail), but it may affect the types of medications that telehealth services are able to send to their patients. For instance, providers located in the United States may send just misoprostol pills with instructions for how to use them. Like mifepristone, misoprostol pills are very safe and effective and have been used for decades for early abortion. 

Our research also shows that mifepristone continues to be available in all 50 accessible in all 50 states through a range of pathways that have been built over the past decade by the reproductive health and justice movement to help ensure that people will still have options for safe access despite political attempts to stop access. Access points include international telehealth providers, community networks, and websites that sell pills. We believe these alternate routes of access to pills by mail are not insignificant and could already account for another 10% of all abortions in the US. We expect new models of access to continue to emerge. 

“Extremist attempts to limit access to abortion have not been successful at stopping the pills-by-mail model of safe abortion care, and this court decision will also not stop access. Abortion pills are and will remain readily available by mail in all 50 states. This is because of robust pill distribution networks that have grown and strengthened across the United States over the past decade and because medications other than mifepristone can be used for safe abortion. Abortion pills are a safe and easily self-managed method that we believe will remain accessible despite ongoing restrictions.” 

–Elisa Wells, Co-Founder, Access Director, Plan C

The Plan C Guide to Pills maintains a research-backed directory of vetted providers and services that are providing abortion pills by mail at www.plancpills.org. Researchers plan to keep this Guide updated and to continue informing the public of any changes to the abortion access landscape.