The Biden administration just ruled that women can now get the abortion pill in the mail without having to show up at pharmacies and pick it up:
AP – The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday permanently loosened a key restriction on abortion pills, eliminating a long-standing requirement that the medication be picked up in person.
Millions of American women will now be able to get a prescription via an online consultation and receive the pills through the mail. FDA officials said a scientific review supported broadening access, including no longer limiting dispensing to a small number of specialty clinics and doctor’s offices.
But prescribers will still need to undergo certification and training. Additionally, the agency said dispensing pharmacies will have to be certified.
The decision is the latest shift in the polarized legal battle over medication abortion, which has only intensified amid the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is certain to spur legal challenges and more restrictions in Republican-led states.
Earlier this year the FDA stopped enforcing the in-person requirement because of the pandemic. Under Thursday’s decision, the agency permanently dropped the rule, which has long been opposed by medical societies, including the American Medical Association, which say the restriction offers no clear benefit to patients.
The FDA’s latest scientific review stems from a 2017 lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued that the agency’s restrictions block or delay medical care, especially for people in low-income and rural communities.
The ACLU hailed the elimination of the strictest requirements but said regulators should have gone further and allowed prescribing by any physician and broader dispensing. Abortion opponents said the FDA decision would result in more drug-related side effects and complications for women.
Physicians who prescribe the drug, mifepristone, will have to certify that they can provide emergency care to deal with potential adverse effects, including excessive bleeding, FDA officials said Thursday.
The change still means many more doctors will be able to write prescriptions and American women will be able to fill their orders at far more pharmacies, including via online and mail-order services.
I don’t care what the FDA or ACLU says, abortion is NOT health care nor medical care. Abortion is murder and the Biden administration just made it even easier for women to access the pill. And since they can now get it online, I would imagine that will make it more difficult for states like Texas to enforce their ban on abortion after six weeks.