from States Newsroom
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By Elisha Brown |
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments for Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday at the federal courthouse in New Orleans. Medication abortion has become the most common form of abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, and telehealth prescriptions have continued to rise. (Photo by Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
A federal appeals court is set to hear oral arguments Wednesday on a lawsuit brought by Louisiana in a bid to tighten the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulations around the abortion drug mifepristone.
The plaintiffs’ goal is to end a Biden-era rule that allows providers to prescribe abortion pills via telehealth and send them through the mail, Stateline’s Sofia Resnick reports.
The Trump administration has asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to delay the lawsuit until the FDA completes a review of mifepristone, expected after the midterm elections.
“What this is doing is shutting down access to people in states that have committed to continuing to make abortion legal, and it will impact people in all 50 states,” said Melissa Grant, co-founder of telehealth abortion medication provider carafem.
A three-judge panel on the 5th Circuit already ruled in favor of Louisiana and a woman who said her then-boyfriend coerced into taking abortion pills. The ruling was halted by the U.S. Supreme Court, but now the entire bench will take up the lawsuit.
“If Louisiana wins this case, we’re going to see for the first time what it looks like under an actual Dobbs regime, where pro-life states get to enforce their laws protecting the unborn,”said Gabriella McIntyre, a lawyer at Alliance Defending Freedom.
THE BEAT
Kentucky’s attorney general is suing a group over an abortion pill banner flown in the sky during the state fair. “These out of state activists are not only breaking Kentucky law, they seem to delight in rubbing our faces in it,” Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement. (Photo courtesy of Kentucky Attorney General’s Office)
KENTUCKY
Kentucky AG sues national nonprofit over abortion-access advertisements: Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit last week against Mayday Health over a banner advertising abortion pills that was flown over the Kentucky State Fair. Coleman, a Republican, accused the nonprofit of violating a consumer protection law and asked the judge to make Mayday pay $2,000 for each alleged violation. He has also sued the group over gas station ads about how to get medication abortions in the state. — Kentucky Lantern
KANSAS
Kansas report outlines strategies for closing gaps, transforming maternal healthcare: Women in Kansas are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes today than they were 20 years ago, according to a new report. Strengthening the perinatal workforce and maternal health care access in underserved areas of the state could improve birthing outcomes, the report found. “Budgets, medical plans and policies are really a statement of values. This is a perfect opportunity for bipartisan investment,” said David Jordan, president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, which produced the report. — Kansas Reflector
MARYLAND
Advocates relieved, businesses concerned about long-awaited launch of Maryland paid leave: The Maryland legislature passed a law in 2022 requiring employers to give employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parenthood, caregiving or medical issues. The rollout has been repeatedly delayed by the state, but now employers must start telling the government their plans for paying into the benefits, which won’t be available to employees until 2028. Business groups are skeptical of the program, calling it a “payroll tax” that couldn’t come at a worse time due to skyrocketing costs. — Maryland Matters
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THE PULSE
ID: Idaho Supreme Court rules state officials must rewrite abortion initiative ballot statements | Idaho Capital Journal
US: Gloria Steinem, an iconic voice of feminism, dies at 92 | The 19th
ABORTION ACCESS IN THE U.S.
Track state-level developments on reproductive rights anytime at News From The States. Send tips and thoughts to ✉️ [email protected], and follow her on Bluesky @elishabrown.
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