The Promise of Abortion Pills: Evidence on the Safety and Effectiveness of Self-Managed Medication Abortion and Opportunities to Expand Access

Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Whole Women’s Health Organization ruling, medication abortion pills have received an enormous amount of attention. The two medication abortion pill regimens, mifepristone used with misoprostol, or misoprostol used by itself, have been the subject of extensive public health research. Less discussed in the legal scholarship are the differences between the two regimens and their uses for self-managed medication abortion. In the United States, when people refer to medication abortion pills, they are often referencing mifepristone used with misoprostol. But in other parts of the world, when people refer to medication abortion pills, they often mean misoprostol alone. Public health researchers have examined the safety, effectiveness, and acceptability of self-managed abortion using both medication abortion regimens. This Article draws on this evidence base and provides opportunities for expanding access to medication abortion pills. This is especially important now that some states have legal climates similar to countries where abortion has long been restricted and researchers anticipate that people will increasingly seek access to medication abortion pills and turn to self-managed medication abortion.