The US Supreme Court has temporarily lifted a lower court's ban on mail delivery of the widely used abortion drug mifepristone, restoring mail access until at least May 11.
The decision comes after a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals halted nationwide mail delivery of mifepristone in a lawsuit brought by the state of Louisiana.
Danco Laboratories, which manufactures mifepristone, asked the Supreme Court for a one-week pause on the appeals court order while it prepares to bring an emergency case to the top court.
The Supreme Court agreed to block the appeals court ruling without explanation, allowing women to continue accessing mifepristone by mail or through a pharmacy.
Mifepristone, which is used in the majority of abortions in the United States, has been approved by the FDA since 2000 and is also routinely used for managing early miscarriages.
Anti-abortion activists have called the drug's safety into question, but polls show a majority of Americans support continued access to safe abortion.
