Youth, Advocates: Mife is safe, no matter where it’s taken.

The Supreme Court has stayed a Fifth Circuit decision requiring patients to access mifepristone in-person at health care facilities. By limiting telehealth access to one of two FDA-approved medications proven to safely end a pregnancy, the case could pave the way for higher barriers to abortion nationwide.

In response, Tamara Marzouk, Director of Abortion Access at Advocates for Youth, issued the following statement:

“Today, even as we await a final decision about long-term access to mifepristone, patients and health care professionals across the country can breathe a sigh of relief. By staying the Fifth Circuit decision until Thursday, May 14th, the Supreme Court has preserved access to life-saving health care for countless people nationwide who urgently need it.  

While a verdict in this case is yet to come, there is one thing we know for sure: mifepristone is safe and effective – whether someone picks up the medication in person from a clinic or provider, receives it at a pharmacy, or receives it through the mail. That will never change, and people will never stop having abortions on their own terms. We cannot let the Supreme Court or any court stoke fear and deepen stigma around medically-approved, life-saving health care.

We urge the Supreme Court not to yield to junk science, and to honor decades of use and over 100 peer-reviewed studies clearly demonstrating that mifepristone can be administered via telehealth and safely received by mail and taken at home. There is no scientific or fact-based reason to enforce higher barriers to medication abortion – barriers that take the highest toll on young people, and particularly on young people who rely on telehealth due to privacy concerns and barriers to travel. 

We must work toward a future where every young person can make decisions about their body and their future unobstructed by political extremism or judicial activism. We urge the Supreme Court to continue to take action to preserve access to mifepristone through telehealth.”

Experts and advocates are available for interviews to discuss how restrictions on telehealth will impact young people seeking abortions.

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Advocates for Youthis a 501(c)3 organization that champions efforts that help young people make informed decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Advocates for Youth boldly advocates for a more positive and realistic approach to adolescent sexual health, focusing its work on young people ages 14-24 in the U.S. and around the globe.

For Immediate Release: May 11, 2026

Contact: Eleanor Naiman, [email protected]