Although these pharmacies dispensing the drug marks a victory for reproductive freedom, a looming Supreme Court case could cut off access to the medication in states where abortion is still legal.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has called abortion “murder,” compared the procedure to slavery, and said that he would support a total abortion ban in North Carolina, without any exceptions.
Opill is the first ever birth control pill to be approved for over-the-counter sales. The medication will likely become available at stores and online retailers in the U.S. in early 2024.
Women have suffered through ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, fetal anomalies, and other complications, but have found it difficult to get the care they need due to restrictive abortion bans.
The bill also makes it more difficult to access care, and implements hugely restrictive regulations on abortion clinics, which could force many of them to close their doors.
The 5th Circuit’s ruling maintains mifepristone’s availability for now, but severely limits access in ways that could harm patients seeking abortion care.
“IVF allowed me to become a mother, one of the most special titles that I hold. It has given me opportunities and experiences that I did not think would be possible in the trenches of my infertility,” Beal said.
A state cannot enact restrictions to a drug if the Federal Food and Drug Administration had already “expressly considered and rejected” them, the judge wrote.
North Carolina is currently one of the few places to which women from Southern states can travel for abortion care—but even here, women are under threat by grandstanding candidates and lawmakers who will put their taking points over our safety.
Our goal is to examine the deep roots of the Black maternal health crisis in North Carolina, offer important resources, and amplify the personal stories behind the numbers.
As lawmakers return for a new session this month, House Democratic Leader Robert Reives says that Republican leadership should be honest with voters about their plan to further restrict abortion rights and should pay more attention to North Carolinians trying to make ends meet.
This legislation is so harmful and out of touch that it even applies to minors. Pregnant children will be forced to carry pregnancies to term in our state thanks to Republicans in Raleigh and Donald Trump, the man who empowers them. Those with fatal fetal diagnoses are subject to similar restrictions.