A look at how Florida’s new 6-week abortion ban could impact access to abortion medication in the state.
Mifepristone and misoprostol are the abortion pills used to end pregnancy for decades.
Florida's latest abortion law prevents the surgical procedure — as well as medication abortion — at six weeks or later.
"We know that 63% of abortions are through medication abortions and the current 6-week ban will absolutely impact access there as well," said Cheyenne Drews, the communications director at Progress Florida.
Medication abortions are still legal in Florida, but not after six weeks. The FDA shows the pills are effective and safe up until 10-to-11 weeks of pregnancy, but obtaining a prescription after six weeks of pregnancy is no longer an option for Floridians.
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“We’ve been getting a lot of fear from people, a lot of concerns that there’s misinformation," said Jamarah Amani, the executive director of Southern Birth Justice Network in Miami.
A midwife herself, she worries about fewer options for her patients.
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“We know that in states that ban abortion, the maternal mortality rates are higher and part of our mission as an organization is to address those health disparities that specifically impact Black and indigenous communities," Amani said. "We are definitely concerned that with an abortion ban, we will see more pregnancies that lead to harmful outcomes.”
Mailing abortion medication pills across state lines into Florida is against state law, but the nonprofit group Progress Florida says people are accessing pills by mail.
“The person receiving the abortion pills, there isn’t something in the statute that would criminalize them for that activity," Drews said. “It bears the question, how would this be implemented in terms of pills by mail? Is someone going to check my mailbox to ensure I don’t have abortion pills? That’s unrealistic and that’s why we do still see people accessing these pills by mail."
Plan B, the pill that is taken after unprotected sex, is legal and not impacted by the new law.
