The FDA has ruled that the abortion pill is safe and effective, and can it be prescribed by mail? A counterexample to the Roe decision
The court’s action sets up a collision between the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year study and supervision of the abortion pill, and the circumstances under which it can be prescribed. The FDA required the drug to be prescribed in person over three visits to a doctor, when it was first approved in 2000. The FDA has made it easier for people to get prescriptions, and get the drug by mail.
The government says that the drug is safe and effective. The FDA has “maintained the scientific judgement, while updating the drug’s approved conditions of use based on additional evidence and experience“, according to the government.
This case will be consequential in regards to access to reproductive health care. Following the Roe decision, many patients seeking abortions turned to telehealth providers, who could then send abortion pills by mail. Pills are now the most common abortion method in the US; curtailing the availability of medication abortion would be a major blow to reproductive health care.