Medication abortion has been available in the United States since 2000, when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of mifepristone for abortion in a two-drug regimen with misoprostol. Mifepristone was first approved for use through seven weeks’ gestational duration and is currently approved through 10 weeks. It is also used safely off-label later in pregnancy. Unlike procedural abortion, medication abortion does not have to take place in a clinical setting—the pills can be taken in one’s own home. Decades of studies have shown that medication abortion is safe and effective. In 2023, medication abortion accounted for 63% of all abortions provided by clinicians in the United States, up from 53% in 2020 and 39% in 2017.
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State Laws on Medication Abortion Care
