Rosalie Markezich did not want an abortion.
The Louisiana woman, under pressure from her then-boyfriend and fearing for her safety, took mifepristone that he ordered online from a doctor in California. Markezich’s heart-wrenching account and testimony are central to a recent case brought by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. Plaintiffs argued that the FDA’s removal of the in-person dispensing requirement for abortion drugs enabled her boyfriend to coerce her into taking the mail-order drugs, leading to her child’s death.
In early May 2026, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit ruled that mifepristone could no longer be prescribed through telemedicine or mailed to patients nationwide while the lawsuit, State of Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proceeds. The court effectively reinstated older FDA rules that required patients to obtain the drug in person from a doctor or clinic.
According to many pro-life advocates, lax policies under the Biden administration opened the door for a dramatic increase in medication abortions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Medication abortions now account for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
“The Biden FDA’s unlawful authorization of mail-order abortion drugs was meant to nullify state laws that protect life,” said Alliance Defending Freedom (Of) Counsel Erin Hawley, who argued alongside Louisiana at the district court. “This was a reckless political action that destroys unborn life, puts women’s safety in serious jeopardy, and completely subverts state law. ADF applauds the court’s decision to halt this scheme and uphold the protection and dignity of every woman and child while we appeal.”
That ban on mail-order abortion pills was short-lived. Shortly after the Fifth Circuit ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States temporarily blocked the decision. Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative stay that restored nationwide mail-order access to mifepristone while the Supreme Court considers the emergency appeal from drug manufacturers Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide by May 14 whether to keep the current stay in place, allowing mail-order abortion pill access to continue during litigation, or allow the Fifth Circuit’s restrictions to take effect again. However, that decision would likely be procedural rather than a final ruling on the merits, with the broader case potentially continuing through additional briefing, oral arguments and a future Supreme Court decision months from now.
In a statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser celebrated the Fifth Circuit ruling while calling on the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers to do more to reverse “the FDA’s unscientific removal of safeguards like in-person doctor visits.”
“Women and children suffer and state sovereignty is violated every day the FDA allows abortion drugs to flood the mail,” Dannenfelser said. “Mail-order abortion drugs are the biggest factor in rising abortion rates after Dobbs and a new wave of violence toward pregnant women, fueled by easy online access to deadly drugs.”
On his podcast, The Briefing, Al Mohler challenged Christians to engage. The Fifth Circuit’s decision and the Supreme Court’s stay have “massive implications” for the pro-life movement and exemplify a growing divide in this country, he said. Mohler also noted that the Trump Administration is going to have to respond to this issue “one way or the other.”
“I just want Christians to understand that this is an absolute direct head-on collision between two worldviews,” he said. “The looming worldview implications are right here on the front page, right here on the front line, right here, undeniable.”
“You are either going to agree entirely with this unanimous decision from the Fifth Circuit panel, or you are going to be entirely against it. It is morally indefensible to be in between the two, and it is now increasingly politically untenable to be between the two.”