On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade, stripping Americans of their constitutional right to abortion.
Now, individual state legislatures will be able to dictate if abortion is legal in their state, along with when and how abortions will take place (if at all). Just minutes after the SCOTUS ruling, Missouri banned all abortions and it’s expected that many states will follow suit.
If you have limited or no access to in-patient abortions and want to know more about your options, below is a comprehensive guide to medical abortions and how you can safely perform them at home.
The “abortion pill,” known as a medical abortion, is actually two pills that will end a pregnancy. Patients can either obtain them in person or they can obtain the pills online via a telemedicine provider.
The abortion pill uses a combination of two medications: mifepristone and misoprostol. Medical abortions account for nearly 40% of all recorded abortions in the U.S. and are extremely safe.
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Both medications have been FDA-approved for the use of ending pregnancies for over twenty years but COVID restrictions pushed the FDA to allow a pregnant individual to receive the drugs by mail, in states where this practice is legal. This rule was then made permanent, making abortion pills more accessible than ever.
Traditional medical abortions typically involve taking two pills: first, you take mifepristone and then you take misoprostol.
The first medication will block your body’s progesterone, which will stop the pregnancy from growing. The second medication will cause you to expel the pregnancy.
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When and where you take both pills depends on state laws and each health center’s individual policy. Some may require you to take one pill in person and allow you to take the second one at home. Meanwhile, others may allow you to complete the entire medical abortion at home.
The abortion pill is extremely safe and effective. According to Planned Parenthood, it works 94%-98% of the time for people who are 8 weeks pregnant or less. It slightly loses its efficacy the more pregnant you are, however, it is still 91%-93% effective for those taken when 9-10 weeks pregnant. Some providers will even give you an extra dose, which ups the efficacy to 99%.
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Whether or not states will be able to legally ban medical abortions, especially via mail, is still up to debate. According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, states will not be able to ban abortion pills since the medications used are already FDA-approved to use within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.
However, numerous states are still attempting to make the abortion pill illegal. Many of these laws are still in flux, which means that some abortion pill providers are operating in uncharted legal waters.
The only states that have currently banned the use of telehealth services for abortion are Arizona, Louisiana, and Tennessee, but they will surely face lawsuits going forward.
Abortion pill access can be complicated depending on where you live.
One helpful resource to figure out whether your state legally provides abortion pills by mail is Plan C. Simply select your state from the list of options and Plan C provides a detailed list of online providers of the abortion pill, along with estimated costs and delivery time.
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One of the top providers of the abortion pill via mail is Aid Access due to its ability to serve all people, regardless of which state they call home. The organization is one of the few that provides the abortion pill in states where it’s illegal by giving patients access to European doctors who can prescribe the medication and have it mailed from facilities outside the U.S.
Additionally, there are several other telehealth abortion pill providers, but their availability varies by state.
• Abortion Telemedicine: Available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington D.C.
• Pills By Post: Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York
• Abortion On Demand: Available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington
• Hey Jane: Available in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, and Washington
• Planned Parenthood: Available in Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
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If you need more information about the abortion pill and how to obtain it, head to either Planned Parenthood or How to Use Abortion Pill, both of which provide comprehensive and accurate information.
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