FDA approves abortion pills, but only handful of Midwestern states may benefit

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) loosened its restrictions that prohibited the sale of the “abortion pill” mifepristone at pharmacies.

Walgreens and CVS have publicly stated they are seeking to sell mifepristone in states that do not prohibit abortion. Details on when the medication will be available are not known yet. Prior to this change, patients would have to go in person to receive the pill, and doctors were unable to write a prescription for them like any other medication.

District Legislative Chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Dr. Kristin Lyerly said that there is little medical evidence for forcing patients to receive mifepristone in person.

“We know that there is no clinical evidence that dispensing these prescriptions in person improves the safety of this medication or patient outcomes,” Lyerly explained. “So, it’s unclear to me why in person dispensing was necessary, unless you look at it from a political perspective.”

While these new rules will make it easier for patients needing the medication for abortion or miscarriage treatment, states like Iowa and Wisconsin will not be affected as their laws heavily restrict abortion.

“I don’t anticipate that any brick-and-mortar pharmacies in Wisconsin will be offering these medications because of the way the 1849 law is written,” Lyerly continued. “Even though these medications can and often are used for women who are experiencing miscarriage, pharmacists are reluctant to dispense these medications out of fear that they are accused of being party to an abortion.”

Under Wisconsin’s abortion law, anyone other than the mother of the child who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child is guilty of a felony.