US appeals court upholds restrictions on abortion pill access

Ruling prevents mifepristone being prescribed by non-doctors or shipped by mail but does not order drug off market

A US appeals court ruled on Wednesday to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, returning to regulations that were in place in several years ago, but will not be taking the medication off the market.

The US court of appeals for the fifth circuit decided that the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) previous regulations for mifepristone were unlawful, Reuters reported. The FDA had ruled that the abortion pill could be taken at a later stage in pregnancy (70 days into pregnancy versus 49 days), shipped via mail, and could be prescribed from medical professionals who are not doctors.