By Ava Dela Pena
Access to abortion care is a struggle women across the country face on a daily basis. Cuts to Medicaid threaten abortion accessibility while various states have already enacted regulations on the procedure. For many, the fight to protect abortion access is ongoing and as recently as October 2, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved another generic version of the abortion medication mifepristone.
That decision has promptly sparked pushback from anti-abortion groups, with criticisms aimed at both President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. Republican senators have also shown their dislike for the drug, made apparent by a letter that was written to Kennedy earlier this morning. The only two republican senators who didn’t sign the letter were Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is the chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, overseeing the FDA. He chimed in on the decision on X: “I fully support President Trump’s Pro-Life, Pro-Family agenda, but the FDA approving one more tool to kill babies is a betrayal. This is not what Commissioner Makary and Secretary Kennedy indicated they would do in their confirmation hearings.”.
WRHU’s Ava Dela Pena had a conversation with Rebecca Kelliher, the author of “Just Pills,” a book that gives a sweeping history of the abortion pill. In her new book, Kelliher emphasizes the role pills played in revolutionizing abortion care for women on a global scale. In 2023, 63% of abortions that took place were medication abortions, compared to 53% in 2020. In a post Roe v. Wade America, “Just Pills” explains how the accessibility of medication abortions is essential through interviews with almost 200 abortion advocates, scientists, government officials and physicians.
Contributor: Antonio Schoenhardt
