This week, we learned that the US Supreme Court is poised to be overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed an individual's right to obtain an abortion in the United States. If that happens, 23 states could enact abortion bans, according to NBC News Referencesleaving people in those states with few options.
One option that is sure to create friction in the courts in the coming months is the abortion pill. Marketed as mifeprex and misoprostol, the drugs — when are taken in combination—is safe and effective (according at the Kaiser Family Foundation, has a 99.6% success rate) way to end a pregnancy in 10 weeks or less.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, this type of abortion accounted for for 54% of all terminations in eight weeks or earlier in 2020, with its popularity growing every year. And in December of last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made the pills more affordable from removing the requirement to be prescribed in person. This opened up the possibility for patients to order the drug by mail or get a prescription through a telemedicine visit.
