The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily extended access to the abortion pill mifepristone by mail and telehealth through at least Thursday, as the justices consider whether to allow new restrictions on the drug to take effect.

Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative stay that prevents a federal appeals court ruling from taking immediate effect. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that mail access and telehealth visits for mifepristone should be suspended while a lawsuit challenging the drug's availability continues.

The case stems from a lawsuit filed by Louisiana seeking to roll back Food and Drug Administration rules on how mifepristone can be prescribed. The state argues the current policy undermines its abortion ban and questions the safety of the drug, which was first approved in 2000. Lower courts concluded that Louisiana is likely to prevail in the case.

Mifepristone is most commonly used in combination with another drug, misoprostol, for medication abortions. According to available statistics, medication abortions accounted for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States in 2023.

The current dispute resembles a similar case that reached the Supreme Court three years ago, when lower courts also sought to restrict mifepristone access in a lawsuit brought by physicians opposed to abortion. The Supreme Court ultimately dismissed that case in 2024, ruling unanimously that the doctors lacked legal standing to sue.

The Trump administration has not filed a written brief in the current case, despite federal regulations being at issue. Mainstream medical groups, the pharmaceutical industry, and Democratic members of Congress have urged the court to maintain access to the drug, with pharmaceutical companies warning that restrictions could disrupt the drug approval process.