The advent of medication abortion has made it possible to dramatically change the way that abortion is handled. Women can now seek private care and manage their abortion at home with the so-called “medication abortion pill”. This helps them avoid being harassed outside of clinics by anti-abortion protesters.
According to the Guttmacher Institute (a pro-life rights organization), the majority of abortions in America today are performed by medication abortion. This is safe and effective for as long as 10 weeks. Access to the medication is now a problem in all the states, which are likely to ban abortions quickly after the Supreme Court’s shocking overturning 1973 Roe V. Wade decision.
Last week’s Supreme Court ruling effectively divided the access to abortion care in the country. It will soon be outlawed in half of the U.S. and still protected in half. Fearing prosecution, abortion clinics in Texas, West Virginia, and Alabama stopped offering abortions shortly after Friday’s decision.
Medication abortion is a complicated topic. The medication can be ordered via telehealth and sent to the woman’s house. Experts say that despite these differences, many women will still be able access medication abortion even in states where abortion is banned.
Amanda Allen, senior counsel, and director of The Lawyering Project which offers legal assistance to researchers and abortion providers, said that there are many options. You could get a medical appointment at the border of a state that allows abortion and have it sent to your P.O. Box.”
Allen said that states that outlaw abortion do not distinguish between surgical and medication abortion. She said that pursuing medication abortion in these states will pose risks for both the woman seeking treatment and the medical professionals who assist her.
Allen stated that there are likely to be solutions, including ordering pills from overseas suppliers or traveling out of the country.
This is what you need to know about medication abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
The medication abortion, also known as the abortion pill, is a combination drug of two drugs: misoprostol and mifepristone.
According to Planned Parenthood, the first drug stops pregnancy growing while the second causes the uterus empty. This process typically takes four to five hours and is comparable to a miscarriage.
According to Elizabeth Nash (principal policy associate, state issues), the process is more private than visiting an abortion clinic. She said, “It feels more like you’re in control and you don’t have to deal avec protesters.”
32 states require that physicians prescribe medications. The remaining states permit advanced practice clinicians, such as nurses or physician assistants, to give the pills.
A recent change has also made the medication easier to access. The FDA granted telemedicine access to doctors in December 2021. This is currently allowed in 31 states.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are still restrictions on prescriptions for telemedicine. The majority of these states are in the South and Midwest.
According to University of California San Francisco researchers, the average cost of an abortion by medication is $550. This includes both the medication and the consultation with a doctor.
Researchers found that it is also comparable in cost to a first-trimester abortion.
It is unlikely. Consider a Missouri woman who is considering abortion. Only in extreme cases is it legal. Allen of the Lawyering Project pointed out that she could arrange a telehealth appointment with a doctor in California. However, if she prescribes an abortion pill to the patient, the California doctor could be subject to legal risk.
Allen stated that sending those medications by mail would be a violation of state laws and could result in the provider being subject to fines and suspension of their license. These are very serious risks. People work all their lives to get their medical degrees.
Experts believe that it is unlikely that abortion-legal doctors in states would send the pills to countries where they are banned.
Yes. People have the right of interstate travel. Experts noted that women can travel to states that allow abortion to obtain prescriptions for medication or to have a surgical abortion.
Experts believe that conservative states might try to stop pregnant women from getting abortion care outside of their state.
Travelling can cost hundreds more than the usual $515 first-trimester price for an abortion. This may make traveling difficult for low-income women. It also means that it is not an option for women with children who are unable to travel.
One provider is working to get closer to women living in states that ban abortion. Just the Pill, which provides abortion pills in Minnesota, Montana, and Wyoming, has started a mobile clinic program that works on the borders of states.
Just the Pill stated that “our mobile clinics are able to quickly adapt to the courts and state legislatures, as well as the markets, going where the need is greatest.”
Experts say this is one of the easiest and least risky options.
Aid Access, an European telemedicine service that provides abortion pills to U.S. women, already has seen an “enormous rise” in Americans seeking the medication. This surge was caused by the leak of a draft opinion that overturned Roe V. Wade.
“So I would say buckle up, U.S. women. Get your abortion pills in your medicine cupboard, so it’s there in case of need,” Dr. Rebecca Gomperts from Aid Access told CBS News last month.
Aid Access connects patients with U.S.-based healthcare providers who can prescribe pills. The online consultation is done via Aid Access. Women who are restricted in their home country may be connected to Gomperts, who can send a prescription online and suggest an online pharmacy that can fill it. It takes about 10 to 20 working days for the medication to reach you.
Allen stated that Aid Access expects to have more people order from it.
However, this poses a risk. She said that if a law enforcement official believed someone was performing an illegal abortion they could pursue the person ordering the pills.
Although most states won’t prosecute anyone seeking an abortion, the majority of states have the right to charge the provider. However, women have been arrested for illegal abortions in their state. Lizelle Herrera, for example, was charged with self-inducing abortion in Texas. However, the charges were dropped later.
Latice Fisher, a Mississippi woman, was charged with second-degree murder in 2017. She had a stillbirth 36 weeks after her 37-week-old pregnancy. The charge was later dropped.
Mississippi is currently facing a case challenging its right to limit mifepristone.
GenBioPro, the generic manufacturer of the drug, filed the lawsuit claiming that the FDA’s regulations regarding the drug override Mississippi’s requirement for a doctor to prescribe the drug in person. Bloomberg Law states that GenBioPro. (The FDA allows doctors to prescribe via telehealth visits as previously mentioned.
Allen, of the Lawyering Project, stated that “it’s an exciting law theory.”
This case could also be used as a basis for an argument by the Biden administration. U.S. Attorney general Merrick Garland, on Friday, endorsed the FDA’s rules allowing abortion pills to be used.
Garland stated in a statement that “in particular, the FDA has approved mifepristone’s use.” “States cannot ban mifepristone because they disagree with the FDA expert judgment about its safety or efficacy.”
–With reporting by CBS News’ Haley Ott