The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the mail-order purchase of abortion pills, helping women living in remote areas with inaccessible access to clinics terminate their pregnancies.
Unfortunately, this decision cannot be applied in 19 States that have already enacted a ban on abortion pills taken by mail.
The decision of the regulatory authority, as the BBC points out, comes as the Supreme Court examines a case that, depending on its verdict, may overturn that of 1973, which made abortion legal in the USA.
The abortion pill (mifepristone) is approved for use up to the 10th week of pregnancy and is one of the two used to terminate pregnancy and treat miscarriage.
Restrictions on the drug, which was first approved in 2000, were lifted earlier this year due to pandemic control measures.
The decision is now permanent, allowing women to take the pill by mail from a certified doctor or pharmacy and get abortion advice online.
"The FDA decision will be a tremendous relief for countless women," said Georgin Usova of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Opponents of abortion, however, say the decision puts women at risk. However, just 24 out of a total of 3,4 million women who received the certified drug to terminate a pregnancy died between 2000 and 2018, according to FDA records.
Medically induced abortion involves two drugs. Mifepristone blocks a hormone necessary for pregnancy, while the second drug, misoprostol, causes contractions.
Misprostol is already available with a prescription.
Taking a pill as a way to terminate a pregnancy is 54% of all abortions performed before the 9th week of pregnancy.
Source: BBC, huffingtonpost.gr