Precisely when human life begins is above our pay grade, but at a time when states are radically restricting women’s right to seek reproductive health care — and forcing rape and incest victims, among others, to give birth — policymakers in Washington ought to be wisely using the levers of federal laws and regulations to safeguard those same freedoms. That renders it a no-brainer that the Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule change making abortion pills more broadly available.
First, an important terminological distinction: These are not so-called morning-after or emergency contraception pills like Plan B. As the FDA has recently made clear, they prevent pregnancy by disrupting ovulation; they do not prevent fertilized eggs from implanting in the womb. Instead, we are referring here to mifepristone, a prescription substance that was approved by regulators in 2000 but made available on only a limited basis. In combination with a drug called misoprostol, it can safely end a pregnancy through 10 weeks.
Late last year, the FDA removed the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone and let it be dispensed not only by clinicians but by certified pharmacies. Last Tuesday, the regulators followed through and finalized a rule ensuring that many large pharmacies will be able to dispense it, provided they are properly trained to provide emergency care in the case of excessive bleeding.
That’s as it should be. The drug is serious and should never be used without safeguards, but after qualified and properly certified professionals have signed off, arbitrary barriers ought not prevent the medication from being obtained. Many pharmaceuticals with powerful effects are available by mail without onerous requirements.
More than half of U.S. abortions are done with pills rather than surgery. If six or seven weeks in, a woman in Idaho or Texas or Alabama is determined to terminate her pregnancy, today her right to do so safely now depends on having the funds and time to get to a state where abortion is more widely available. Allowing wider access to prescription medication is humane.
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