Supreme Court temporarily delays restrictions on abortion drug

Justice Samuel Alito put a five-day pause on a court order on Friday that would restrict the use of mifepristone, a drug used in chemical abortions. A ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday kept part of a U.S. District Court order protecting women and babies from the drug. The interim ruling would prohibit mifepristone from being sent by mail or to women who are more than seven weeks pregnant. Those protections should go into effect on Saturday. The Justice Department and mifepristone manufacturer Danco Laboratories filed requests Friday morning for the Supreme Court to keep in place the current Food and Drug Administration regulations for the drug.

What else is the government doing to thwart pro-life efforts? The Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday it was offering about $1.5 million in grants to establish a national abortion hotline. Department officials say the call center would provide information on pregnancy, infant care, foster care, and abortions. Organizations currently receiving grants from the department’s family planning program are eligible to apply.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’s report on the abortion drug’s two-decade journey to court.