Abortion Pills Take Center Stage As Supreme Court Considers Landmark Case

Abortion pills are starting to take on new importance as states anticipate a potential Supreme Court ruling on abortion later this year — one that many pro-life advocates hope could bring about a reversal of Roe v. Wade. 

If Roe is overturned, legal access to abortion would become dependent on state laws — and in light of that as well as some of the abortion pill restrictions that came to light during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of abortion pills is taking a center stage in the debate. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the existing requirement that forced women to meet with a physician before receiving abortion pills was lifted by a federal judge. The Trump administration challenged that reversal — and eventually won in the courts — but in April 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it was going to allow the pills to be sent through the mail and prescribed via telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FDA permanently loosened those rules in December. Now, abortion pills can be sent through the mail or even potentially bought or acquired online.