The US Supreme Court has extended access to mifepristone — a widely used abortion pill — until at least Thursday, giving justices more time to consider an emergency request to block a lower court ruling that would restrict the drug. Justice Samuel Alito issued the administrative stay, which allows women to continue obtaining mifepristone via telemedicine and mail-order delivery without an in-person doctor's visit. The case stems from a Louisiana lawsuit challenging Food and Drug Administration rules on how mifepristone is prescribed, with lower courts finding the state likely to prevail; the outcome carries significant weight given that medication abortions accounted for nearly two-thirds of all US abortions in 2023.