When I heard that the FDA had ruled that abortion pills could be sent by mail from now on I was elated. This was set up at the beginning of the pandemic to allow telehealth visits for abortion and has been made permanent. I didn’t realize that this meant that they could only be sent to states where abortion is still legal up until 10 weeks. Plus they can’t be used in the 19 states which have banned telemedicine for abortion care. Still it’s refreshing that the FDA is trying to preserve basic healthcare. They made this ruling late last week.
Americans can permanently get abortion pills by mail from now on, the Food and Drug Administration decided Thursday, after lifting a restriction that required abortion seekers to get the pills in person from a physician.
The decision immediately makes permanent the system that was set up at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow patients to get abortion pills after a telemedicine visit rather than going to a doctor’s office. It also extends the availability of abortions as the Supreme Court looks likely to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortions legal across the United States.
With abortion pills, patients can undergo a medical abortion at their homes up through 10 weeks of pregnancy. The first take the drug mifepristone, which stops pregnancy from continuing, and then up to 48 hours later take misoprostol, which causes uterine contractions. In combination, the two end the pregnancy.
Although the FDA is allowing the abortion pills to be sent by mail, 19 states have already banned telemedicine visits for abortions, making it illegal for residents to receive the pills by mail, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Five states, including Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana, have outright bans on using telemedicine for abortion pills, while the other 14 — which includes Texas, Mississippi and Alabama — require patients to be in person with a physician to get them.
The decision also does not change the limits on abortion in states like Texas, which has banned the procedure after more than six weeks of pregnancy.
In the summer of 2019 I attended a talk by an ACLU lawyer about abortion rights in my state, Virginia. She explained that there were restrictions that only doctors could write these prescriptions in person, meaning that physicians assistants and nurse practitioners were prohibited from writing the prescriptions unlike with other medications. Thankfully telehealth visits were allowed for abortion in Virginia a few months ago. Prescription abortion medication has less than a 1% complication rate and is used for 96% of abortions. I hope that this provides greater access to healthcare throughout the US and that it’s also used as a workaround for those in states with abortion restrictions.
GOOD. Big Church has gone too far in this country
I hope someone sets up a forwarding service (for free) to those other backward states and doesn’t mess with the pills while they’re at it. I love my child, I hope I am fortunate enough to have more, but holy cow a baby should not be forced on anyone. It’s not fair to the mom or child.
love how republicans are always going on about the rights of their children being violated by the state (lol) but bringing a child into the world when the mother is not capable or prepared to look after it (omitting the dad, yes some of them stick around, whatever)…like THAT is so cruel to a child.
i’ve wanted children for years and have a long term partner who does too. but i’m also severely disabled and chronically ill. even if my body could carry a child– which it can’t right now due to how sick i am– i could never look after it on my own. i would love to have a child but there is no way i have the resources or ability to raise one without fucking them up badly.
it hurts, but i’m slowly accepting the likelihood that i will be childless due to my life circumstances and i only have so much time. even if i used a surrogate or adopted or something like that, it would be cruel and heartless to bring a child into a world where their mother could barely care for them (and my partner is disabled too, so it’s not like he could do it either) and also might die at any minute (i nearly died in November, this is not an exaggeration. wasn’t related to covid or anything though, im vaxxed)
it’s selfish to have children if you cannot care for them or guarantee them a safe, reliable future to the best of your ability. it’s selfish selfish selfish
So sorry to hear of your troubles. I too cannot have biological children due to medical treatment complications and disabilities. I also chose to not use a surrogate, foster, adopt, etc when I know full well that my parenting abilities would be less than ideal.
As a former Planned Parenthood staffer, (in Canada-totally different ball of wax) I am delighted by this, and hope so hard that progress keeps going, despite set backs.
This backwards country, it’s so crazy how dead set people (mostly old white people) are against access to basic medical care, not to mention basic sex education.
When the Republicans win in 2022 and 2024 (not if, when), we will lose this too.
Wow. That coat hanger sign is so powerful. And prophetic.
If women got together to pass eunuch laws (deadbeat dads and rapist beware) then maybe men would understand.. her body, her choice.
Here’s my question: How far along into a pregnancy can someone safely and effectively use this type of solution?
Don’t get me wrong…I applaud this decision and want all other options to be available to everyone. I’m concerned that people are going to be left without options if they don’t realize that they are pregnant in time, and their only option ends up being a desperate, possibly-lethal backyard coat hanger procedure.
This is a fantastic step, but it’s not enough to protect females of child-bearing age.
You can use medication abortion up to 10 weeks. And I totally agree that is not going to work for many women.
I used to work as a counselor with Planned Parenthood, and one of the things that also came up is that if a woman uses the medication abortion, it will be very hard for her to hide from other people in her household that something is going on. For a lot of women this is a big problem, and coming into the clinic is more private and preferable. Being able to take time off from work, childcare, and having unfettered access to a bathroom is another thing a lot of women can’t take for granted. It might take time to arrange that, which makes the 10 week limit extra difficult.
For the love of dog please people, start working to get out the vote for democrats in your area. If your area is blue, volunteer to do virtual work in a swing area.
Flip that Pennsylvanian senate seat and try to hang on to the others. Then the House which Dems are poised to lose – work like our lives depend on it, because many of them do.
Thank you, CB, for this article and reminder.
KEEP ABORTION SAFE AND LEGAL
+1,000
I hope this lasts. The Supreme Court case worries me. I’m currently pregnant, with a very much wanted pregnancy, and I’m more pro-choice than ever. The state of abortion rights in this country scares the sh*t out of me.
Is this your first baby? I also became much more pro-choice after having kids. Parenting is too big of a responsibility to be imposed upon anyone who does not want to take it on. Ever.
Thank goodness
A small win, but a win nevertheless. The red states are still trying to fight this. I imagine there is going to be an Underground Railroad system to get these pills to women in states that have made these pills illegal. I rather a woman but these under the table than try anything with a surgical instrument. My mother knew three girls that died because of abortions when she was in high school. Two from botched up abortions and one from flinging herself off her roof. I’ll always fight in the memory of these women.
Finally, something that makes sense!