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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 6 May 2022

Next battle over access to abortion will focus on pills

Continued from Front a medication abortion, she poses, it needs to further
found an online service, regulate access to the rel-
Two drugs are required. The called Just The Pill, that ad- evant medications.”
first, mifepristone, blocks vised her to drive across Hermer said she doesn’t
a hormone needed to to Minnesota for a phone think there is a valid pub-
maintain a pregnancy. A consultation with a doc- lic health reason because
second drug, misoprostol, tor. A week later, she came the published evidence is
taken one to two days lat- back to Minnesota for the that the drugs are “excep-
er, empties the uterus. Both pills. tionally safe.” But if the Su-
drugs are available as ge- She took the first one al- preme Court overrules Roe
nerics and are also used to most immediately in her v. Wade and a state gives
treat other conditions. car, then cried as she embryos and fetuses full
The FDA last year lifted a drove home. rights as people “then all
long-standing requirement “I felt like I lost a pregnan- bets would be off.”
that women pick up abor- cy,” she said. “I love my The Planned Parenthood
tion pills in person. Federal Bottles of the drug misoprostol sit on a table at the West Alabama husband and I love my regional organization that
regulations now also allow Women’s Center on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. children and I knew exactly includes South Dakota
mail delivery nationwide. Associated Press what I had to say goodbye doesn’t believe it can le-
Even so, 19 states have including Texas, Kentucky, online services that offer in- to and that was a really gally mail abortion pills to
passed laws requiring a Arkansas, Ohio, Tennes- formation on getting abor- horrible thing to have to patients there.
medical clinician to be see and Oklahoma, where tion pills and consultations do.” Telemedicine providers
physically present when Republicans have moved to get a prescription. After Besides crossing state lines, have to abide by the laws
abortion pills are adminis- to further restrict access the woman in South Da- women can also turn to in- of the state where the
tered to a patient. to abortion pills in recent kota found that the state’s ternational online pharma- patient is, said Dr. Sarah
South Dakota is among months. only abortion clinic could cies, said Greer Donley, a Traxler, chief medical of-
them, joining several states, Those moves have spurred not schedule her in time for professor specializing in re- ficer for Planned Parent-
productive health care at hood North Central States
the University of Pittsburgh in St. Paul. She acknowl-
Law School. Some women edged that some orga-
also are having prescribed nizations disagree. “But,”
pills forwarded through she added, “we don’t
states without restrictions. feel like we have liberty to
“It allows for someone to mail pills from Minnesota to
have an abortion without a other places in the country
direct role of a provider. It’s where it’s illegal to provide
going to be much harder medication abortion.”
for states to control abor- Sue Leibel, the state policy
tion access,” she said, add- director for Susan B. Antho-
ing, “The question is how is ny List, a prominent orga-
it going to be enforced?” nization opposed to abor-
Abortion law experts say tion, acknowledged that
it’s an unsettled question medication abortions have
whether states can restrict “crept up” on Republican
access to abortion pills in state lawmakers.
the wake of the FDA’s de- Leibel maintained women
cision. should not be prosecuted
“The general rule is that fed- for seeking abortions, keep-
eral law preempts conflict- ing with a long-standing
ing state law,” said Laura principle of many abortion
Hermer, a professor at the opponents. She suggested
Mitchell Hamline School the next target for state en-
of Law in St. Paul, Minne- forcement should be the
sota. “There is no question pharmacies, organizations
that the FDA has proper and clinics that provide the
authority to regulate the abortion pills. She also said
drugs used in medication abortion-rights opponents
abortions. The question is should focus on electing
whether a state can make a presidential candidate
a viable, winning argument who would work to reverse
that, for public health pur- the FDA’s decision.q