US fight escalates over abortion pill, mifepristone, at pharmacies

but the debate over one of America's most divisive issues is far from over, with focus now shifting to over-the-counter abortion pills.

Since 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved mifespristone as the first step in a two-drug process to abort early pregnancies.

Last January, the FDA changed its regulations to allow retail pharmacies to give out the drug - previously, only a handful of pharmacies and specialised clinics and doctors could dispense it. The change in the law could make it easier for millions of women to obtain an abortion, since such pills are currently the most common method.

Pharmacies will have to apply to be certified to distribute the drug, and meet certain safety and privacy requirements, say US regulators.

The expansion has coincided with a number of legal and political battles over the future of mifepristone in several states.

The back and forth could affect access to the drug for millions of women across the US. Here are three states where the battle intensified this week.