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Despite ruling, abortion pills remain available in most states

By Ethan Sandweiss

Posted June 30, 2022

Abortion pills

(VAlaSiurua, Creative Commons)

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, demand for self-administered abortion pills has surged. Currently, medication abortion remains available in all 50 states, and the drugs Mifepristone and Misoprostol are available both online and through clinics. Yet, with anti-abortion state legislatures preparing to enact new restrictions, medical and legal experts worry that purchasing these pills could become a crime. 

Indiana already has stricter limits on abortion pill access than most states. Medication abortion is banned later than 10 weeks into a pregnancy. Indiana’s July 25 special session could push these laws further.

Elisa Wells is the Co-founder and Co-director of Plan C, an information campaign which seeks to expand access to abortion pills online. She says that state bans on abortion medication would be difficult to enforce since the medications remain accessible online.

“They are trying to restrict access to the pills, but we know there are alternative routes of access that have not been stoppable,” said Wells. “There is Aid Access which ships pills from abroad directly to a person’s mailbox. There are also online pharmacies that ship directly to your mailbox, and there is the option of mail forwarding: setting up a virtual mailbox in another state, having a telehealth consultation in that state, and then having those pills forwarded to you.” 

Anticipating the legal battle over abortion pill access, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement on the day of the Dobbs ruling that states cannot ban FDA-approved abortion drugs on the basis of safety. According to Wells, these pills remain the safest option for terminating an early-term pregnancy. 

“They are registered in the United States for use up to 10 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period, but we know that they are safe for use beyond that. Many providers prescribe them up to 11 or 12 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period.”

Read more: Abortion criminalization could weaponize personal data

Abortion pills’ safety and availability make them an attractive option, but in states with tight abortion windows, mandatory waiting periods, and limited medical capacity, they may be the only viable option. Most pregnant people don’t realize they’re carrying a fetus until at least five or six weeks, shortly after their first missed period. That leaves little time to seek an operation. According to data released from the pro-abortion choice Guttmacher Institute, more than half of abortions in 2020 were performed with medication.

Mifepristone and Misoprostol remain available, but other birth control medication is becoming difficult to buy. Vendors including Amazon and Walmart have imposed limits on Plan B purchases, because they say demand is so high. CVS also imposed a limit, which it reversed after several days.

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