Why It Matters
Anti-abortion groups are accelerating efforts to restrict access to medication abortion at the state level while federal regulators review safety data for mifepristone. The push targets telehealth provisions that currently allow patients to obtain abortion pills without in-person clinical visits.
What Happened
Anti-abortion activists plan to urge states to mandate in-person visits, ultrasounds, or waiting periods for women seeking abortion pills. This strategy unfolds as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts a renewed review of safety data for the two-drug regimen, which includes mifepristone and misoprostol.
The FDA originally approved the medication combination in 2000 but required in-person administration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration suspended enforcement of that rule in 2021, and the agency officially removed the in-person requirement in 2023. Anti-abortion organizations and state attorneys general have challenged those changes through ongoing federal lawsuits.
In 2025, activist groups pressured the Trump administration’s FDA to re-examine the safety data. The agency is expected to provide an update on the review progress this Wednesday but will not issue a final ruling on telehealth access at that time. The administration has delayed multiple related federal lawsuits until after the review concludes.
National anti-abortion leaders indicated they will remain unsatisfied if the FDA determines mifepristone is safe for telehealth administration. Bradley Kehr, vice president of legal affairs for Americans United for Life, criticized the current regulatory framework. “There are comorbidities that come with mifepristone… and right now under the FDA system, that’s not working,” Kehr said.
By the Numbers
10 — Number of states without total abortion bans that require in-person visits, ultrasounds, or waiting periods for medication abortions.
six weeks — The gestational limit for legal abortion in Florida.
24 hours — The mandatory wait time in Florida after an ultrasound before receiving abortion pills or procedures.
2000 — Year the FDA approved the mifepristone and misoprostol regimen.
2021 — Year the Biden administration suspended enforcement of the in-person medication rule.
2023 — Year the FDA officially removed the in-person requirement.
2025 — Year activist groups pressured the Trump administration’s FDA to review safety data again.
65% — Percentage of all abortions that are medication abortions.
28% — Percentage of all abortions conducted through telehealth, according to KFF.
13 — Number of states that ban all abortions.
10 weeks — Gestation limit for which peer-reviewed studies show low risk of serious adverse events for medication abortions.
Zoom Out
Medication abortions now account for approximately 65% of all abortions in the United States, with roughly 28% conducted through telehealth platforms. Ten states that do not have total abortion bans currently require in-person visits, ultrasounds, or waiting periods before dispensing abortion pills. These states include Florida, Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Florida law permits abortion only up to six weeks of pregnancy and mandates an ultrasound followed by a 24-hour wait before patients can receive abortion pills or procedures. Lana’e Hernandez, a case manager for the Florida Access Network, noted the impact of these time constraints. “Floridians are already under a time clock,” Hernandez said.
Clinical guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists state that clinical examinations or ultrasounds are not necessary before taking abortion pills for patients with regular menstrual cycles and no risk factors for ectopic pregnancy. Peer-reviewed studies indicate a low risk of serious adverse events for medication abortions up to 10 weeks’ gestation, including those administered via telehealth.
What’s Next
The FDA is scheduled to update the public on its review progress this Wednesday, though a final decision on telehealth access remains pending. The Trump administration has delayed several ongoing federal lawsuits related to mifepristone regulations until after the agency completes its safety data review.
Political dynamics in Washington also influence the regulatory timeline. Democratic control of Congress could jeopardize the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee for FDA commissioner, Heidi Overton. Overton did not specify during her confirmation hearing last month whether she would recommend changes to mifepristone regulation, though she has previously expressed anti-abortion views and written that the medication is dangerous.