FDA Must Widen Abortion Pill Access During in-Person Rule Appeal

The federal Food and Drug Administration must allow mail-order dispensing of a drug used to induce abortions while it appeals a ruling blocking an in-person distribution requirement for the duration of the Covid-19 public health emergency, a federal appeals court said.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit gave no reason Thursday for denying FDA’s motion to pause an injunction prohibiting it from insisting that women go to hospitals, clinics, or doctors’ offices to get mifepristone.

Mifepristone is used in combination with another drug to end pregnancies during their earliest stage. Women’s health-care providers, including the American College ...