CVS and Walgreens will be selling the drug in Democrat states across the US including New York, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
Two major pharmacy chains will be stocking their shelves with abortion pill mifepristone which will allow women to terminate their pregnancies without having to go to medical clinics.
The pharmacies will be selling the drug in Democrat states across the US, with CVS beginning its rollout in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and Walgreens in New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted its approval for retailers to sell the abortion pill at CVS and Walgreens, which announced that the rollout will begin in just a few weeks, according to the New York Times.
On Friday, President Biden praised the FDA's approval and said the abortion pills availability is "an important milestone in ensuring access to mifepristone," according to the Daily Mail.
A year ago, CVS officials declared their intention to pursue federal certification in order to offer abortion-inducing drugs for sale with a prescription, broadening their availability beyond mail-order pharmacies and medical clinics.
The level of demand that these pharmacies will encounter for the medications, which are also available at doctor's offices and via mail-in states that do not penalize abortion, is unknown.
CVS stated that its pharmacies in roughly half of the United States where abortion is prohibited or restricted will not be offering the pill.
The majority of abortions performed today are induced by medication, which is used up through 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Because of safety concerns, mifepristone could only be prescribed by a doctor in person at a limited number of specialty offices and clinics - until now.
The cervix, which is the lower end of the uterus that links it to the vagina, dilates when mifepristone is used. Blood and other fluids can pass through the cervix, which normally expands during childbirth. The medication dilates the cervix and then inhibits progesterone, a female sex hormone necessary for maintaining pregnancy.
The patient takes misoprostol, a medication used to treat stomach ulcer problems such bleeding, 24 to 48 hours later.
Misoprostol induces cramps and contractions in the uterus, which result in bleeding and the expulsion of the pregnancy tissue.
The Mayo Clinic lists back discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and abdominal or stomach pain as common adverse effects. Reactions to allergies, excessive vaginal bleeding, and elevated fever are considered more severe side effects.
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