More than two-thirds of voters say a doctor’s visit should be required to obtain abortion pills, according to polling, a view at odds with the current federal rules allowing the drugs to be prescribed via telehealth and delivered by mail. It makes sense.

     A McLaughlin & Associates poll released  found that 71% of likely voters approved of the proposal: “Requiring a doctor’s visit in order for the chemical abortion drug to be prescribed to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.”  The survey of 1,600 likely voters also found that they have “significant concerns” about the safety of abortion pills, with 41% calling the drugs “very” or “somewhat” safe, and 30% describing them as “very” or “somewhat” unsafe.

     “There is a strong consensus among voters that in-person doctor visits should be required to monitor patients for the severe health risks posed by the chemical abortion drug,” said the polling analysis.  The concerns about safety came even though 57% of those surveyed described themselves as pro-choice, while 40% said they were pro-life.

     Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the results show that the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to remove the in-person dispensing requirement runs counter to the public’s stance.  “Even a strong majority of liberal voters agree in-person doctor visits and screening for coercion and abuse are simply common sense, yet the Biden FDA recklessly tossed them aside to push a pro-abortion agenda,” said Ms. Dannenfelser in a statement. 

     “The Trump administration promised a fresh review of the evidence on the risks of abortion drugs, and we eagerly await their following through,” said Ms. Dannenfelser. “Right now, at minimum, they should heed the emerging science and the will of the people and immediately reinstate in-person doctor visits that existed before Biden’s harmful COVID policy.”

     The FDA’s safety protocol on mifepristone has relaxed significantly since the drug was approved for use in elective pregnancy termination in 2000.  The protocol initially required three in-person medical visits, but the rule was loosened to one visit in 2016.  Under President Biden, the FDA temporarily removed the in-person dispensing requirement during the pandemic in 2021. The rule-change was made permanent in 2023.