Oregon Faces Abortion Pill Access Hit After Court Blocks Mail Delivery
Oregon will be impacted by a decision of the New Orleans 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the distribution by mail of abortion medication may no longer take place.
The federal appeals court has ruled that the abortion pill can now only be distributed in person at a clinic.
Mail-Order Medication Accounts for 11% of Oregon’s Annual Abortion Rate
Oregon agencies do not fully track the distribution of Mifepristone by mail. However, research shows that tele-health abortions increased to an average of 114 a month between April 2023 and March 2024, which represented 11% of all abortions in the state during the same period.
Sources: Oregon Capital Chronicle, OHSU, AP and FDA mifepristone materials
Dailytidings.com
Prescriptions by mail have played a major role in the provision of abortions, including in those states that prohibit abortions.
It is generally believed that when tele-medicine is restricted, the first people to suffer are those living in rural communities and low-income earners.
Mifepristone was approved as an effective and safe way to terminate pregnancies more than a quarter of a century ago. Initially, the FDA imposed strict limitations on who could prescribe and distribute the pill. Only physicians were allowed to prescribe the pill after an in-person appointment.
The Pill Was Safe to Use Without Direct Supervision
However, both of these requirements were dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the FDA said that Mifepristone had been monitored for 20 years and, after reviewing dozens of studies involving thousands of women, it was clear that the pill was safe to use without direct supervision.
Over the years, Oregon has relied on mailed abortion medication to expand access. Friday’s Appeals Court ruling will directly affect one of the methods used by the state to reach patients, especially those living in rural areas.
According to Oregon Health & Science University, the state launched a tele-health program, sparked by increased demand. This move effectively doubled clinical visit capacity and significantly increased service to the state’s rural counties.
Friday’s ruling is likely to be appealed at a Supreme Court hearing.