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Tag: Abortion pills

  • Woman imprisoned over abortion medication after UK’s legal limit to be released

    Woman imprisoned over abortion medication after UK’s legal limit to be released

    A lady who was imprisoned for procuring abortion pills illegally in order to terminate her pregnancy when the area was under lockdown will be allowed out.

    Carla Foster, 45, was sentenced to a 28-month extension of her original sentence after she pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining her own abortion at a gestational age of 32 to 34 weeks.

    Abortions are often only performed in clinics after 10 weeks of pregnancy and are only legal up until 24 weeks.

    Sentencing Foster last month, Mr Justice Pepperall said Foster would serve half her term in custody and the remainder on licence after her release.

    But at the Court of Appeal in London on Tuesday, three judges reduced her prison sentence.

    Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Lord Justice Holroyde and Mrs Justice Lambert, said Foster’s sentence would be reduced to 14 months and that it should be suspended.

    ‘This is a very sad case… It is a case that calls for compassion, not punishment,’ Dame Victoria said.

    Foster appeared via videolink from Foston Hall prison for the hearing, wearing glasses and a dark blue top with flowers on the shoulders.

    Following the sentencing of the 45-year-old earlier this year, a campaign had been launched to reform abortion law. 

    Caroline Nokes, chair of the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, had joined women’s rights groups in calling for reform to the 1861 legislation.

    She told BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight programme: ‘Cases like this, although tragic and fortunately very rare, do throw into stark relief that we are reliant on legislation that is very, very out of date.’

  • US FDA grants pharmacies permission to sell abortion pills

    US FDA grants pharmacies permission to sell abortion pills

    Under a new rule change implemented by the Biden administration, retail pharmacies in the United States can now dispense the abortion pill mifepristone for the first time.

    Patients currently obtain mifepristone in person from a health provider as part of a two-drug regimen that is both safe and effective in inducing abortion.

    The new rule still requires a prescription, but patients can now pick up the pill in-store or by mail order.

    The move has the potential to significantly increase access to abortion via medication.

    Abortion pills have become more sought after in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to abortion, with several states banning or sharply restricting access to abortion.

    More than half of US abortions are already done with pills rather than by surgery, according to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute.

    In December 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had said it would permanently lift the requirement for patients to obtain a prescription in person via a healthcare provider, as part of its pandemic-driven move toward telemedicine.

    On Tuesday, the FDA updated its website with the new requirements, saying the drug “can be dispensed by certified pharmacies or by or under the supervision of a certified prescriber”.

    Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, the two US companies who make the drug, confirmed in separate statements that the agency had informed them of its decision.

    The move has been hailed as “an important step” forward by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

    “Although the FDA’s announcement today will not solve access issues for every person seeking abortion care, it will allow more patients who need mifepristone for medication abortion additional options to secure this vital drug,” the organisation said in a statement.

    Mifepristone is taken in combination with a second drug called misoprostol, typically taken within 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy to induce what is known as medication abortion. Misoprostol, which is commonly used for miscarriage management, is not a restricted drug and can easily be obtained at pharmacies via prescription.

    Pharmacies – from large chains to corner drugstores – can now apply for certification to distribute mifepristone, which will allow them to directly service customers with a prescription from a certified prescriber. Drug chains CVS and Walgreens have both said they are reviewing the new requirements.

    But the political landmines surrounding abortion are likely to influence whether or not, and where, pharmacies will offer the pill.

    Women in the more than dozen states where abortion has been banned will also likely need to travel to other states to obtain medication abortion.

    Source:BBC.com