FDA Clears Abortion Pills For Sale At Retail Pharmacies For First Time

As activists all over the country continue the fight to champion reproductive rights, some good news has recently emerged, with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowing abortion pills to be sold at retail pharmacies for the first time. 

This move comes as more states seek to ban medical abortion after the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned last year, and many women in the nation grapple with dwindling resources. 

Now, pharmacies can begin applying for certification to offer the abortion pill mifepristone with one of the drug’s two manufacturers, and will be able to directly dispense it to patients with a prescription once the application is successful. 

Reuters notes that abortion rights reformers claim the pill has a proven track record of being a safe and effective method of inducing an abortion up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, and can be obtained in other countries even without a prescription. 

However, women in states where mifepristone is banned may still not be able to access the drug, though it has been suggested they could potentially travel to neighboring states to obtain the medication. 

Another way around the problem would be via the US Postal Service, which has legally been allowed to deliver prescription abortion drugs even in states that have banned access to the procedure. 

The Hill reported a legal opinion from the Department of Justice found that mailing the medication across state lines did not violate the Comstock Act, which stops anything that could “corrupt” morals from being sent in the mail. 

This ruling will apply to third-party carriers, such as UPS and FedEx, which can be legally used to ship abortion drugs. As such, even in a state that’s prohibited medical abortion, women can still lawfully use the medication. 

[via Reuters and The Hill, cover image via Olesya Kuzina | Dreamstime.com]