Abortion ruling throws match into tinderbox

Next major front

Supporters of abortion say abortion pills are likely to become the next major front in the battle over reproductive healthcare in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision.

Republican-led states have been moving to limit or even completely ban access to the drugs.

At the National Right to Life convention in Atlanta, a leader of the antiabortion group warned attendees on Saturday that the court's decision ushers in "a time of great possibility and a time of great danger".

Randall O'Bannon, the organization's director of education and research, encouraged activists to celebrate their victories but stay focused. Specifically, he called out medication taken to induce abortion.

"With Roe headed for the dustbin of history, and states gaining the power to limit abortions, this is where the battle is going to be played out over the next several years," O'Bannon said. "The new modern menace is a chemical or medical abortion with pills ordered online and mailed directly to a woman's home."

Medication abortion has become an increasingly common method for ending pregnancies. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a policy and research organization, it accounted for 54 percent of all abortions in 2020.

Immediately following the Supreme Court's ruling, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department will protect the right to an abortion, including with medication.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the medication Mifepristone. "States may not ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about its safety and efficacy," Garland said.

On Friday, Biden said he had directed the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that abortion pills would be available to the "fullest extent possible", without specifying what measures the department would be taking.