Bottles of the drug misoprostol sit on a table at the West Alabama Women's Center on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Misoprostol is used for a number of purposes, including as the second step in a medication abortion. The abortion pill mifepristone is the primary drug used for medication abortion, by blocking a hormone needed for pregnancy to continue. Misoprostol is then used to cause cramping that empties the womb.
Allen G. Breed / AP
A group of 23 Democratic state attorneys general have sent a letter in support of pharmacies dispensing and mailing the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol.
Attorneys general in Oregon, Washington and California spearheaded the letter.
It’s a response to a letter from 20 Republican attorneys general that warned CVS and Walgreens they could be violating a law from the 1870s, known as the Comstock Act, if they send the pills by mail.
The Democratic attorneys general call that an antiquated and meritless legal theory and say the pills are safe. They are FDA-approved for use in terminating pregnancy through 10 weeks of gestation.
“Attorneys general in anti-abortion states are trying to scare retail pharmacy chains away from offering these critical medications,” said Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in a statement. “But, in a time when reproductive health care is under attack, our group of 23 attorneys general strongly believe we should be encouraging companies and providers to offer easily accessible, safe, and confidential healthcare as broadly as possible.”
Medication abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States.
This story may be updated.