Confused about the abortion pill news? Here's where things stand

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Jonathan Bachman/AP hide caption toggle caption Jonathan Bachman/AP It's been a whirlwind week when it comes to mifepristone, one of the medications used for abortion and the management of miscarriages. A federal appeals court ruling on May 1 immediately rolled back telemedicine access to mifepristone nationwide. Two drugmakers appealed to the Supreme Court right away. For several days, it was not clear what the appeals court ruling meant in the real world. Now, telemedicine access to the pill is back. On Monday, the Supreme Court put the appeals court ruling on hold for one week . That means mifepristone can still be prescribed through telemedicine and sent through the mail through May 11, at least. There's a lot to follow in the mifepristone legal saga — it can get really confusing. Here's what to know. 1. How it all started First, some background. When the FDA approved mifepristone in 2000, it came with a requirement that patients would have to go in person to a clinic or a doctor's office to receive it. That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic — as telemedicine expanded dramatically, FDA began to allow mifepristone to be dispensed at a local pharmacy or through the mail. FDA made the policy official in 2023. By that point, the Supreme Court had overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the Dobbs decision. …