As states with Republican-led anti-choice legislatures continue to chip away at what little reproductive freedoms remain after the Supreme Court’s devastating 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democratic lawmakers and leaders are working to expand access in new ways. For the first time ever in the United States, brick-and-mortar pharmacies will now be allowed to offer abortion pills (also known as medication abortion) thanks to a regulatory change made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Finalized Jan. 3, the FDA’s decision to expand access to abortion pills will have a major effect in states where abortion is still legal: Before, patients could only receive mifepristone, the first of the two-drug combination needed for a medication abortion (the second is misoprostol) through heavily regulated channels, such as clinics, hospitals, and mail-order pharmacies. Now, patients with prescriptions from a certified health care provider can obtain abortion pills through almost any participating retail pharmacy in their state, either by walking in or ordering through the mail.
