Just hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, and decided to leave the decision to allow abortions to individual states, the demand for abortion pills increased across the country. Pills have fewer regulations than surgical abortions and are overall less invasive, less expensive, and more private.
This pill is simple. When used during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, the drugs will stop the development of the baby, and induce contractions and bleeding similar to those of a miscarriage.
Kiki Freedman, chief executive of Hey Jane (a company that provides telemedicine abortions), says patient demand doubled after the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Traffic to its website on Friday was 10 times larger than usual.
The only requirement to obtain an abortion pill is that the patient must participate in a consultation (virtual or in-person) in a state that has not outlawed abortion. This method of abortion may be difficult to regulate, as those in border areas might be able to skirt the laws of their state by speaking with a provider in the next state over. Additionally, it is difficult to monitor activities such as sending and receiving pills in the mail, which creates another enforcement challenge.
The federal government is committed to preserving the right to take medicines approved by the FDA. Xavier Becerra, secretary of Health and Human Services, released a statement saying “[w]e stand unwavering in our commitment to ensure every American has access to health care and the ability to make decision about health care—including the right to safe and legal abortion.”
Even Justice Brett Kavanaugh, with an opinion aligning with the Court’s majority, indicated that people traveling across state borders to receive an abortion will be protected by the constitutional right to interstate travel.
On this topic, President Joe Biden said, “[i]f any state or local official, high or low, tries to interfere with a woman’s exercising her basic right to travel, I will do everything in my power to fight that deeply un-American attack.”
Many anti-abortion groups say that medication abortions are unsafe. However, a research program from the FDA contradicts this claim. It was found that in between May 2016 and September 2020, 95% of medication abortions were completed without the need for a follow-up procedure. Only 70 patients had to go to the emergency room, and there were only 10 instances of serious complications.
Even with the decreasing availability of abortions, women can still find ways to access those services through abortion pills. As the use of these pills will inevitably increase, they will become the subject of many legal debates in the future as lawmakers argue over the legality of medication abortion.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656283369075x492197126305831100/Abortion%20Pills%20Take%20the%20Spotlight%20as%20States%20Impose%20Abortion%20Bans%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/27/women-in-states-that-ban-abortion-will-still-be-able-to-get-abortion-pills-online-from-overseas.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/26/us/abortion-pills-birth-control-vasectomies-roe-wade.html
This pill is simple. When used during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, the drugs will stop the development of the baby, and induce contractions and bleeding similar to those of a miscarriage.
Kiki Freedman, chief executive of Hey Jane (a company that provides telemedicine abortions), says patient demand doubled after the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Traffic to its website on Friday was 10 times larger than usual.
The only requirement to obtain an abortion pill is that the patient must participate in a consultation (virtual or in-person) in a state that has not outlawed abortion. This method of abortion may be difficult to regulate, as those in border areas might be able to skirt the laws of their state by speaking with a provider in the next state over. Additionally, it is difficult to monitor activities such as sending and receiving pills in the mail, which creates another enforcement challenge.
The federal government is committed to preserving the right to take medicines approved by the FDA. Xavier Becerra, secretary of Health and Human Services, released a statement saying “[w]e stand unwavering in our commitment to ensure every American has access to health care and the ability to make decision about health care—including the right to safe and legal abortion.”
Even Justice Brett Kavanaugh, with an opinion aligning with the Court’s majority, indicated that people traveling across state borders to receive an abortion will be protected by the constitutional right to interstate travel.
On this topic, President Joe Biden said, “[i]f any state or local official, high or low, tries to interfere with a woman’s exercising her basic right to travel, I will do everything in my power to fight that deeply un-American attack.”
Many anti-abortion groups say that medication abortions are unsafe. However, a research program from the FDA contradicts this claim. It was found that in between May 2016 and September 2020, 95% of medication abortions were completed without the need for a follow-up procedure. Only 70 patients had to go to the emergency room, and there were only 10 instances of serious complications.
Even with the decreasing availability of abortions, women can still find ways to access those services through abortion pills. As the use of these pills will inevitably increase, they will become the subject of many legal debates in the future as lawmakers argue over the legality of medication abortion.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656283369075x492197126305831100/Abortion%20Pills%20Take%20the%20Spotlight%20as%20States%20Impose%20Abortion%20Bans%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/27/women-in-states-that-ban-abortion-will-still-be-able-to-get-abortion-pills-online-from-overseas.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/26/us/abortion-pills-birth-control-vasectomies-roe-wade.html