CG heard from 4 co-authors of a study that suggests abortion medications could one day meet the criteria for FDA approval as over-the-counter products. Emma Hernández of We Testify even shares a personal story showing how OTC pills could improve access to reproductive care and autonomy amid storms.
Litigation on the matter is set to continue in the lower courts and could return to the Supreme Court down the line. But, for now, telemedicine, mail delivery, and pharmacy dispensing of the medication — which can be used to end a pregnancy — can continue where it is otherwise legal.
Reproductive rights advocates in the U.S. stress that another type of medication abortion should still be accessible via telehealth even in the event of a ruling against the virtual prescription and mail delivery of mifepristone.
"We expect a response by May 5, 2026," U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wrote in a letter to Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Mike Bonanza of Elevated Access told CG that the situation could "result in more referrals" to his flight-based organization, even as plane fuel is set to be impacted as well. Volunteer pilots with the nonprofit transport patients to abortion and gender-affirming care at no cost to passengers.
Researcher Sherri Mason told National Public Radio that the move to monitor substances like microplastics in drinking water is "an important first step." Earthjustice attorney Katherine O'Brien told the outlet the effort is "a distraction."
"Fundamental to abortion care is … infrastructure," Marisa Falcon, a practical support organization expert, told CG on the threshold of a major winter storm expected to bring power outages, transit disruptions, and business closures to much of the U.S.
The Guttmacher Institute's Candace Gibson spoke with CG about how water policy — not based on evidence of environmental harm & proposed across the US — could impact abortion. That's not to say all enviro policy is bad for repro rights. In France, Belgium, even the US, it may still help protect them.
