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US states label abortion drugs a 'public nuisance' in bid to curb access
The states say shield laws and mail-order prescriptions create a public nuisance, as telehealth abortions for patients in ban states reached 91,000 in 2025, Guttmacher said.
- Last week, Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas filed two lawsuits, including one at the U.S. Supreme Court, alleging that out-of-state medical providers create a "public nuisance" by mailing abortion drugs across state lines.
- The states contend that providers in New York, California, and Massachusetts facilitate deliveries by utilizing shield laws protecting doctors from out-of-state prosecution and civil liability for providing legal health care.
- Telehealth-Provided abortions rose to about 91,000 in 2025 from 74,000 in 2024, according to the Guttmacher Institute, as medication abortion accounted for 65% of abortions in 2023.
- Linda Goldstein, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, criticized the lawsuits, stating, "That is not protecting their residents from harm, nor is it in line with typical public nuisance claims."
- Nearly 30 individual practitioners and groups face legal exposure in the second lawsuit filed in Louisiana, which aims to block mail delivery of mifepristone and threatens telehealth services across state lines.
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The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)Republican states label abortion drugs as ‘public nuisance’ in effort to block access
Nearly half of US states have banned or severely restricted abortion access since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022
·London, United Kingdom
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US states label abortion drugs a 'public nuisance' in bid to curb access
Three Republican-led US states are testing a novel legal argument as they seek to stem the flow of abortion pills to residents who can still obtain them from out-of-state providers despite their abortion bans.
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources4
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 25%
R 25%
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