For those of us in the United States, abortion access has just suffered another devastating rollback.  

A federal court ruling—and subsequent appeals court ruling—will greatly restrict the use of mifepristone, one of two medications used in the U.S. for abortion with pills. This particular legal battle will continue to play out in our courts, while people’s health and bodily autonomy hang in the balance. 

But people who need abortions won’t be deterred. We at Ipas have seen this clearly in our decades of global experience. When abortion care is not available within the formal health-care system, people will find ways to obtain abortion pills and self-manage the process on their own terms.  

We also know that mifepristone isn’t the only option for people who want an abortion with pills. Mifepristone combined with the medication misoprostol is one method, but another common and effective method is to use misoprostol alone. Misoprostol is available in many countries without a prescription and at low cost—and has been used around the world for decades. It’s also part of the full spectrum of WHO-approved abortion care options, which include abortion with pills and vacuum aspiration. 

The bottom line is that abortion pills should be available to everyone, everywhere, whether in a clinic or for self-managed care. We’ll keep fighting to expand access to abortion with pills wherever it’s needed. 

If you’d like to learn more about abortion with pills, please visit our webpage devoted to educating people about this safe and effective method: www.ipas.org/AbortionWithPills. 

In solidarity, 

Anu Kumar
Ipas President & CEO