ATLANTA — The nation is working to understand what the Supreme Court's latest decision means for abortion rights and the future of reproductive care. Much is still uncertain and 11Alive's Verify team is working to provide clarity about the court's opinion and what it means for medication abortion.
On Friday, SCOTUS ruled in favor of Mississippi's anti-abortion law in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Its decision overturned the precedent set by the high court's 1973 decision for Roe v. Wade, which made abortion a federal right.
Those seeking abortion, prior to the court overturning Roe, could do so with a medication abortion. Viewers are now wondering if the court's latest decision will interrupt access to abortion even in pill form.
The Question
Will I still be able to get abortion pills in Georgia?
Our Sources
The Answer
Here's what we found.
Abortion pills are formally known as "medication abortion." It's when a patient takes a drug to end their pregnancy.
The Guttmacher Institute found this method of abortion accounted for more than half of all procedures in the U.S. in 2020.
Georgia requires pregnant people who opt for this option to get a prescription for the medication, which is FDA-approved.
This bodes the question: If it's approved by a federal agency, can states outlaw it?
"I think that's going to be another set of litigation," Hutchinson said. "So the court doesn't address that in the opinion."
Plan C, an organization that helps people access and learn about medication abortion, said the pill will still be available in states that do not restrict it.
"There will still be states where abortion is legal," Imani Wilson-Shabazz from Plan C said. "We are here to help you find the care that you need."
Ultimately, the reversal of Roe v. Wade does not explicitly ban the abortion pill in Georgia, but the state does have the power to ban it.