FDA now allows abortion pills to be purchased from pharmacies and mail-order companies
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In a move that will expand access to medical abortions in America, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday changed its rule to make abortion pills available for purchase from retail pharmacies and mail-order companies, UPI reports.
Following a reported surge in requests for mail-order abortion pills since the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v Wade in June, the FDA is now allowing both mifepristone, the first of the two pills taken for medical abortions, and misoprostol, which is taken 24 to 48 hours later, to be available directly from the woman’s doctor and pharmacy or through mail-order. Until now, only the first pill was available in this manner, UPI reports.
The changed rule will only affect US states where abortion is allowed, not those where it has been banned.
Retail pharmacies, including large chains, will be able to dispense the pills provided they have completed a certification process, UPI said. In-person collection is no longer necessary.
According to data collected by the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research center, more than half of abortions in the US are carried out through pills rather than surgery, DW said. Medical abortions are carried out up to 10 weeks gestation.
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