MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Alabama has joined 21 other states in filing a legal brief supporting Louisiana’s lawsuit challenging a Biden-era rule expanding access to abortion pills.

The case targets a 2023 action by the Food and Drug Administration that removed longstanding safeguards on the abortion drug mifepristone and allowed doctors to prescribe the pills across state lines through telehealth and mail delivery.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall says the rule unlawfully overrides state laws protecting unborn life and conflicts with federal law restricting the mailing of abortion drugs.

In a statement, Marshall called the rule “unlawful, plain and simple,” arguing that after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision returned abortion policy to the states, the Biden administration attempted to bypass that ruling through executive action.

The multistate brief contends the FDA rule allows states like California and New York to effectively set abortion policy for pro-life states by enabling prescriptions that state law prohibits. It also claims the policy has increased strain on state health systems and Medicaid programs.

The case is pending in federal court in Louisiana, where plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to block the rule.

The brief was led by Nebraska and joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.