5 Reproductive Rights Breakthroughs That Are Changing Women’s Lives

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that they would be easing the strict usage guidelines surrounding mifepristone, an abortion-inducing pill, making it a more accessible option in several key states—a set of changes that has far-reaching implications for American women. “This is a significant advance for women, particularly in states where medication abortion has been restricted,” says Janet Crepps, senior counsel in the U.S. Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights, who believes that the new guidelines will provide women with more choice. The announcement comes on the heels of several major shifts in the modern reproductive rights movement, which will come to a head this year, when the Supreme Court rules on a landmark abortion case. Here, five recent developments that are impacting the lives of women in the U.S. right now.

New Access to the Abortion Pill
This week, the FDA approved a label change for the abortion-inducing pill mifepristone, which now lets women request a medication-induced abortion up to 70 days after conception—up from 49—while reducing the dosage instructions and the number of mandatory doctor’s appointments, as well. “It opens up the option to more women, and reduces the cost to providers, who in some states were actually forced to ignore clinical guidelines and essentially overmedicate women,” explains Leslie McGorman, NARAL’s deputy policy director, of the impact of the decision.

The Rise of OTC Birth Control
In January, over-the-counter birth control hit Oregon—now, women could receive contraception without a doctor’s prescription, after a simple self-screening with a licensed pharmacist. California passed a similar measure going into effect in April, while states like Missouri, South Carolina, and Washington are considering legislature, as well—which means widely accessible birth control may actually become a reality, 56 years after The Pill was first approved by the FDA.

Colorado’s Free IUD Program Overcomes a Lack of Public Funding
Last year, the Colorado Family Planning Initiative, which provides free IUDs to teens and low-income women and has helped reduce the state’s teen pregnancy and abortion rates by nearly 50 percent, was in danger of shutting down, after state government funding was eliminated. Instead, a flood of private donations—some $2 million worth—saved the program, marking an unexpected victory for local health providers. While the fight for public investment remains key, could such privatized gestures indicate a new wave of greater public support and funding?

The Pro-Choice Movement Gets Personal
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments in the landmark Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case, which challenges restrictions placed on Texas abortion clinics, and in solidarity, dozens of women stepped forward to share their firsthand experiences. It’s part of a larger movement that’s breaking down the stigma and secrecy that have long surrounded abortion, one that’s gaining momentum as women in the public eye, including actress Jemima Kirke and former Texas senator Wendy Davis, continue to put a personal face on the issue.

State Courts Strike Down Anti-Abortion Restrictions
Lately, the issue of admitting privileges—laws that require doctors performing legal abortions to secure patient admission privileges at a nearby hospital—has taken the forefront, as it is one of the central questions at the heart of the Supreme Court’s Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case. Without admitting privileges, many legal abortion clinics have been shut down in states like Texas, but as events have continued to unfold, a different story has taken shape. State courts that have evaluated those laws on a case-by-case basis are largely blocking them—U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, for instance, permanently struck down a similar law in Alabama just last week. As a court in Wisconsin reached the same conclusion, the growing consensus at the state level may prove telling, even as the country awaits the Supreme Court’s final ruling.

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