Abortion pills, the next battleground in the United States

While traditional states in the US are rushing to ban abortion after the Supreme Court ruling overturned this right at the federal level, the fight against abortion is already moving to another area: abortion pills.

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The Biden administration restricts access to these pills to women living in states where abortion is prohibited or severely restricted. But some as well as powerful conservative groups in these states are likely to go to court to ban their use.

In the heat of the High Court statement on Friday, the Democratic president called on health officials to make abortion pills available to American women, saying “I will do everything.” [son] Power ”to protect the rights of women in states affected by the decision.

Pills that can be used up to 10 weeks pregnant in the United States account for half the number of abortions in the country.

Demand is expected to rise further after a dozen states ban or impose a ban on abortion.

Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch doctor whose company distributes abortion pills on the Internet, says Roy V. 1973 Wade ”, which guaranteed the right to abortion everywhere in the country.

“We can not prevent abortion pills from circulating,” she told AFP. “So there is always access to a safe abortion if a woman accidentally becomes pregnant.”

But this is far from guaranteed, as many abortion rights advocates are concerned.

Lawsuits?

The United States Medicines Agency, FDA, approved the use of these pills about 20 years ago. Last year, she gave the authority to send them by mail.

But in anti-abortion states, their use remains a legitimate gray area and will certainly be the subject of litigation in court.

On Sunday, South Dakota Governor Christie Noem said medical abortions by telemedicine were “extremely dangerous medical procedures” and should only be done under medical supervision.

According to the Gutmacher Institute, a research center that promotes contraception and abortion worldwide, 19 US states require abortion pills to be dispensed by a health care worker so that mail delivery is prohibited.

And in states that prohibit all methods of abortion, women are prohibited from consulting a doctor in another state or abroad on teleconsultation.

In this case, they must go to another state where these appointments are allowed and receive their envelope at an address outside their state.

But obstacles do not stop there.

Medical abortion occurs in two stages: first with myofepristone, and after 24 to 48 hours, with misoprostol to induce contractions.

Hence the question arises: If a woman living in a state of contraception takes the first dose elsewhere, can she be prosecuted if she takes the second after returning home?

While progressive states are taking steps to facilitate abortions for women in other parts of the country, conservative states may sue the health workers and groups involved in these efforts. And patients, too.

In anticipation of such plans, Justice Minister Merrick Garland warned Friday that states cannot ban abortion pills because federal regulations are in effect, indicating controversy in court.