Mifepristone, a drug commonly used for medication abortion, is under attack in the federal courts. At stake are the rights of women and people who can become pregnant to access one of the most common, effective, and safest forms of abortion. Read on to learn where the case challenging FDA approval of the drug stands today...

Over half of all abortions in the United States are medication abortions. Medication abortions typically consist of two pills — mifepristone and misoprostol — which work together to end early pregnancies by blocking the hormone progesterone. Mifepristone received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 and has been approved to end a pregnancy through the first ten weeks. Abortion medications are incredibly effective in ending early pregnancies, with success rates of 94 – 98% when used correctly in the first eight weeks of pregnancy. Abortion medications are also very safe when used as directed; follow-ups are required less than 1% of the time. There is also a lower risk of complications from medication abortions than procedural abortions or childbirth and a lower risk of death than the common antibiotic penicillin.  

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LWVUS Blog / Last Updated: June 17, 2024
By: LWV Staff
This blog was written by 2023 legal intern Sarah Tibbitts and staff attorney Thomas Tai. It was then updated in June 2024 by legal intern Avery Emery.