--- title: "The FDA Will Now Allow You To Buy Abortion Pills At Normal Pharmacies" description: "The FDA has changed its rules to make it easier for patients to access abortion pills, which until now were difficult to get." date: "2023-01-04" modified: "2023-01-04" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fda-abortion-pills-pharmacies" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "RX and Medicine" tags: - "abortion" - "fda" - "healthcare" - "roe v wade" --- # The FDA Will Now Allow You To Buy Abortion Pills At Normal Pharmacies ![The FDA has changed its rules to make it easier for patients to access abortion pills, which until now were difficult to get.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* Until this year, patients seeking abortion pills had to undergo a labyrinthine process to access the medication — but thanks to a Food and Drug Administration position reversal, it'll soon become much easier. In a statement, the [FDA outlined its new rules]() regarding Mifeprex (generic name Mifepristone), the 200 mg tablets that can end a pregnancy of up to 10 weeks, which is two weeks before the end of the first trimester of a pregnancy. Before this change, patients seeking Mifepristone would have to first obtain a prescription and then either [wait for it to be shipped]() from the few mail-order pharmacies or specially-certified clinics or doctors allowed to sell them. Now, pharmacies can opt into selling the pills by signing up with the FDA and abiding by the agency's guidelines, which including training for pharmacists. Although patients will still need prescriptions to get the pills, this change will drastically widen their access. That's significant, because the medication was already [used in half the legal abortions]() in the US before the stunning [reversal of *Roe v. Wade*]() last summer, which [increased demand for the drug]() even further. Shortly after the FDA updated its abortion pill rules, the [United States Postal Service affirmed]() in its own statement that it would continue to allow Mifeprex and Mifepristone to be sent through the mail as well. This rule change comes just after reports out of California that in spite of being neighbored by states where abortion remains legal, [abortion demand has risen drastically]() in the Golden State, with clinics seeing up to fourfold increases in patients in some parts of the large state. In its statement, the FDA also cautioned against purchasing Mifepristone online — another [trend that's arisen]() in the wake of *Roe*'s demise. "The FDA does not recommend purchasing mifepristone... online or personally transporting it from a foreign country," the statement reads. "If a person does so, they would be bypassing important safeguards specifically designed to protect their health." The FDA statement specifically mentions the [Mifepristone risk evaluation and mitigation strategy]() (REMS) program, a set of requirements and considerations issued by the agency that doctors are advised to use when prescribing the abortion drug. While the program is intended to ensure the safety and efficacy of the medication, some experts consider it yet another unnecessary barrier to abortion access. "It’s time to end the non-evidence-based REMS," [tweeted Daniel Grossman](), a public health researcher who specializes in abortion, "which makes it difficult for many providers to prescribe abortion pills." Reproductive rights journalist and advocate [Renee Bracey Sherman also chimed in](), tweeting that they "look forward to the FDA ending their useless REMS restrictions and really making abortion pills available in as many ways as possible." With the post-*Roe* landscape looking so grim in so many states as the country heads into the 2024 presidential election season, this FDA ruling offers, at least, a bit of progress on the federal level. **More on regressive health practices:** [*Man Says His Online Therapist Told Him to Simply Stop Being Gay*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()