Dear John,

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted a long-standing requirement that physicians must distribute the abortion pill mifepristone to patients in person—much needed good news in the wake of last week’s disastrous Supreme Court ruling which left in place Texas’s unconstitutional 6-week abortion ban. The FDA, however, did not lift several burdensome restrictions that continue to unnecessarily restrict access to medication abortion.
 
“The FDA’s decision to permanently remove the in-person pill pick-up requirement is a major step forward that will enable many more patients to get this safe and time-sensitive medication as soon as they are ready, without travel-related expenses and delay,” said Georgeanne Usova, senior legislative counsel at the ACLU. “From the person living in a rural community hundreds of miles from the nearest clinic to the patient who wants to access this essential care in the privacy and comfort of their home, the FDA’s decision will come as a tremendous relief for countless abortion and miscarriage patients.”
 
And as lawyers and reproductive rights advocates at the center of the case reminded us on the latest episode of our “On the Issues” podcast, ensuring widespread access to medication abortion is even more critical in the face of a potential Roe repeal next year, when the Court will announce its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Abortion, we’re reminded, is a matter of autonomy, and of democracy—as Renee Bracey Sherman put it, “All of us deserve to be able to decide if, when, and how to grow our families on our own terms.” 
 
This week, a push to pass the Freedom to Vote Act stalled after resistance from Senators Sinema and Manchin, who continue to be obsessed with preserving the archaic filibuster. But despite these setbacks, momentum is still building, from inside the senate chamber with the extraordinary speech by Sen. Raphael Warnock, to the steps outside. We were heartened to hear news of a group of Arizona college students who began a hunger strike on Dec. 6, demanding that Biden and the senate prioritize the passage of the Act. The group continues to wait outside the White House, expressing a commitment to hold out as long as physically possible. 
 
These young feminists know what you and I know: that we won’t let our democracy go down without a fight. We’re not waiting for any Christmas miracle—the feminist movement has never depended on miracles. We’ve always depended on our own hard work and persistence—and we have no intention of giving up. 

For equality,

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

P.S. — As the year winds down, we’re already gearing up for the next one. 2022 will be a pivotal year — not just in terms of abortion rights, but with the midterm elections, ERA, voting rights and more. With so much at stake, make sure you don’t miss a single issue or court decision — join our global community of feminists.