Posted on Mar 30, 2022
As medication abortion becomes dominant, red states restrict pills
902
18
4
8
8
0
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/29/ [login to see] /as-medication-abortion-becomes-dominant-red-states-restrict-pills
For most of the almost 50 years since the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion nationwide, clinics have been the focus of the battle over abortion rights.
Protesters gather outside on sidewalks. And Republican state lawmakers try to regulate what happens inside — through laws restricting which healthcare providers can perform abortions, the kind of counseling required and which procedures are allowed.
But now, more than half of abortions are taking place with pills.
For most of the almost 50 years since the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion nationwide, clinics have been the focus of the battle over abortion rights.
Protesters gather outside on sidewalks. And Republican state lawmakers try to regulate what happens inside — through laws restricting which healthcare providers can perform abortions, the kind of counseling required and which procedures are allowed.
But now, more than half of abortions are taking place with pills.
As medication abortion becomes dominant, red states restrict pills
Posted from npr.org
Medical
Health
Drugs
Pharmaceuticals
Abortion
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 3
4
4
0
Is this the morning after pill? When are lawmakers going to start mandating men use condoms?
(4)
(0)
SrA John Monette
No. What they would do is start screaming about how the government can't tell men what to do with their bodies.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."But now, more than half of abortions are taking place with pills.
"For a lot of people, having the option of having an abortion in the privacy and comfort of their own home is appealing," said Rachel K. Jones, a research scientist with the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights.
According to data released by Guttmacher earlier this year, abortion pills – not surgical procedures – accounted for 54 percent of abortions in 2020. That makes medication abortion the dominant choice in the United States for the first time since the Food and Drug Administration approved an abortion pill, mifepristone, more than 20 years ago. It's part of a two-drug protocol approved to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks gestation. That protocol also is prescribed to manage some miscarriages.
During the pandemic, the FDA relaxed rules so that the tightly regulated drug mifepristone could be obtained through telehealth appointments and mail-order pharmacies, rather than in person. That made it easier for patients in some states to get a medication abortion at home. The Biden administration recently made those changes permanent.
Now, Republican lawmakers in several states are pushing back.
In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem recently signed legislation designed to restrict access to the drugs.
Already, more than a dozen states restrict limit the use of telemedicine to provide abortion pills. And this year, Planned Parenthood says new restrictions have been introduced in two dozen states, some of which would ban the pills altogether if Roe v Wade is overturned."...
..."But now, more than half of abortions are taking place with pills.
"For a lot of people, having the option of having an abortion in the privacy and comfort of their own home is appealing," said Rachel K. Jones, a research scientist with the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights.
According to data released by Guttmacher earlier this year, abortion pills – not surgical procedures – accounted for 54 percent of abortions in 2020. That makes medication abortion the dominant choice in the United States for the first time since the Food and Drug Administration approved an abortion pill, mifepristone, more than 20 years ago. It's part of a two-drug protocol approved to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks gestation. That protocol also is prescribed to manage some miscarriages.
During the pandemic, the FDA relaxed rules so that the tightly regulated drug mifepristone could be obtained through telehealth appointments and mail-order pharmacies, rather than in person. That made it easier for patients in some states to get a medication abortion at home. The Biden administration recently made those changes permanent.
Now, Republican lawmakers in several states are pushing back.
In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem recently signed legislation designed to restrict access to the drugs.
Already, more than a dozen states restrict limit the use of telemedicine to provide abortion pills. And this year, Planned Parenthood says new restrictions have been introduced in two dozen states, some of which would ban the pills altogether if Roe v Wade is overturned."...
(2)
(0)
1
1
0
By operations or drugs, killing is killing. The question that needs to be answered correctly is: When does life begin?
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google