When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone--the first of two drugs used in a medication abortion-- in 2000, the approval process came with a myriad of restrictions. Kirsten Moore, creator and director of the Expanding Medication Abortion Access (EMAA) Project, sits down to talk with us about the evolution of restrictions on medication abortion over the past 22 years, as well as the future of medication abortion access.

 

In the mid-2000s, these restrictions were folded into an FDA program called Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS). These restrictions included a certification process for the clinician, requires that the medication be dispensed in person in the clinic, hospital, or medical office, and patients must fill out a consent form. During the pandemic, the FDA issued guidance for medications subject to REMS, easing restrictions on providers and patients—but medications requiring in-person dispersal was not included. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) sued the FDA, leading to a short period of time in 2020 when providers were able to consult with patients and prescribe medication abortion care through telemedicine and the mail. In January of 2021, the Supreme Court shut these abilities down. Still, in spring of 2021, the FDA announced that they would re-consider the current REMS restrictions. In December of 2021, the FDA announced the removal of the in-person distribution requirement for mifepristone and allowing in-person and mail-order pharmacy distribution.

 

Unfortunately, expanded medication abortion access will, like many reproductive health services, be dependent on where you live. At this moment, 19 states prohibit the use of telehealth for abortion care (the number of states may rise to 26 depending on the future of Roe v. Wade). Many patients who are seeking an abortion are already facing structural, financial, and logistical barriers that make accessing this care extremely difficult to begin with. Even so, the FDA’s lifting of unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion dismantles one less barrier to care for many.

 

Links

The EMAA Project on Facebook

The EMAA Project on Twitter

Blog post- Supporting a Friend’s Abortion At Home

 

Take Action

 

Follow the EMAA project on Facebook and Twitter here.

 

Stay engaged in the fight to reduce barriers to medication abortion in individual states, and continue to talk about medication abortion as an option! Many people aren’t aware of it or know little about it, despite the fact that it’s an extremely safe and effective way of ending a pregnancy. 

 

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