In the aftermath of the recent Roe v Wade overturn, several abortion bans have been proposed and/or passed across the United States. This includes several restrictions or flat out bans on the abortion pill with clauses that place doctors and women in real danger of jail time, the death penalty, and death as a result of a failing pregnancy. 

Restricting access to the pill or enforcing bans that put the receiver or medical professionals at risk is incredibly dangerous and unethical. At minimum the abortion pill should be unrestricted and available to women, but in the best case scenario the pill would be free or at a severely reduced price. 

According to  Planned Parenthood, the abortion pill uses a medicine called Mifepristone to stop the body from creating hormones to maintain a pregnancy, and can be used under supervision by a medical professional up to 70 days after the last menstrual cycle. Getting approved to take the pill takes 2-3 appointments with the doctor, exams, and forms, all of which costs a total of $300 – $800 depending on what your healthcare will cover. 

In April of 2023, according to CNN, the FDA approved Mifepristone and its manufacturers in the middle of a Supreme Court ruling to increase access to the abortion pill. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of national access to the abortion pill. In spite of this, several laws or bills have been proposed and passed in an effort to circumvent the ruling by criminalizing any attempts to secure an abortion. 

Not only is it a violation of medical privacy and HIPAA laws by making doctors mandatory reporters when a woman tries to get an abortion and threatening them with jail time for failing to do so, but it also is impeding on women’s rights and healthcare to enact these laws. 

Additionally, the extreme prices for the abortion pill make access to it all the more difficult, especially in low income communities. To maximize accessibility, the pill should be widely offered at either a reduced price or for free to ensure those who need it can obtain it after being approved by the proper medical professionals. 

Public opinions on the topic should not affect accessibility to this aspect of healthcare, because abortion is a healthcare procedure. There is no ethical reason to restrict access to healthcare, and by extension there is no ethical reason to restrict the abortion pill.