Patients will be able to get the drug, called mifepristone, from bricks-and-mortar pharmacies

After the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, attention has turned to abortion pills. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez explains how misoprostol and mifepristone work together to terminate a pregnancy, as well as the potential side effects of a medical abortion. Illustration: David Fang

Updated Jan. 3, 2023 9:23 pm ET

The Food and Drug Administration expanded access to a drug that induces abortion, allowing bricks-and-mortar pharmacies to dispense the pills for the first time.  

Under the changes the agency issued Tuesday, any pharmacy can complete and sign a short form to become certified to provide the so-called abortion pill, not just the handful of mail-order pharmacies that were permitted to ship prescriptions during the pandemic. 

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