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The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a nationwide ban on mailing mifepristone and filling its prescription at retail pharmacies, causing confusion and disruption for abortion providers and patients in Maryland. Maryland providers report that 17% of abortion care was delivered via telehealth in early 2025, and they urge stronger state protections for providers and patients to maintain access amid ongoing legal challenges to mifepristone.

Rising fuel and travel costs are straining abortion funds nationwide, including the Abortion Fund of Maryland, which helps about one-third of its 2,100 annual clients from out of state with transportation and lodging expenses. The Maryland fund faces increased logistical costs, such as bus, train, flight, and gas expenses, forcing it to consider prioritizing assistance based on factors like housing instability and pregnancy stage due to limited budgets.

More than 500 Marylanders each month receive abortion medication by mail through telehealth, but a Supreme Court case reviewing a ban on mailing mifepristone could threaten this access. Maryland's status as a 'shield state' protecting abortion rights contrasts with restrictive states like Louisiana, which brought the lawsuit challenging the FDA's 2023 rule allowing mifepristone to be dispensed without an in-person visit.

Maryland lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 169 and House Bill 372 to enshrine emergency abortion protections into state law, ensuring hospitals provide emergency abortions during life-threatening pregnancy complications despite the Trump administration's rollback of federal EMTALA guidance. These bills aim to protect Maryland women who may be taken to faith-based hospitals that could otherwise refuse emergency abortion care, with final legislative approval expected before the session ends.