Mail-order abortion pill sales are surging in red states

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending the federal right to abortion, The Washington Post says it "could trigger a surge of interest in a method of pregnancy termination that has become popular in states that already restrict the procedure: Abortion pills by mail."

Several Republican lawmakers have made attempts to prohibit the abortion pills from being shipped or prescribed, however, some people are finding ways around that by ordering the pills online "from overseas pharmacies that can't be reached by U.S. laws," the Post reports. It's a five-day dosage of tablets that typically comes in an "unassuming envelope," which makes it hard to patrol. These nondescript shipments "will probably become another front in the battle over abortion rights," says the Post.

"Mailed pills are hard to police," Temple Law School's Rachel Rebouche said, but "[t]hat has not stopped [states] from trying." Experts believe more people will turn to those online sources if abortion rights are overturned.

In 2000 the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone, taken along with misoprostol, to induce what is essentially a miscarriage, explains the Post. It's approved as safe and effective for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Advocates say residents of Texas and several other states with strict policies on abortions "have already helped fuel the boom in medication abortions, as patients seek alternatives to surgical abortions at a clinic." Read more at The Washington Post.