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A federal judge agreed Monday to suspend a rule that requires women during the COVID-19 pandemic to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland concluded that the “in-person requirements” for patients seeking medication abortion care impose a “substantial obstacle” to abortion patients and are likely unconstitutional under the circumstances of the pandemic. (Kunzelman, 7/13)

Under the ruling, health care providers will be permitted to mail or deliver mifepristone to patients as long as the Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) public health emergency continues. HHS Secretary Alex Azar first declared the emergency in January. (Coleman, 7/13)