Washington D.C., Jan 23, 2023 / 12:30 pm
President Joe Biden issued a memorandum on Sunday, the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, directing federal agencies to support wider access to abortion pills.
In his memo, Biden called upon the secretary of Health and Humans Services, the attorney general, and the secretary of Homeland Security to issue guidance to help women and providers legally obtain abortion drugs.
Biden’s memo comes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed its policy on Jan. 3 to allow any patient with a prescription to obtain mifepristone from her local retail pharmacy, such as CVS or Walgreens.
Shortly following the FDA’s rule change, both CVS and Walgreens quickly announced they would soon begin offering abortion drugs. Rite Aid announced Jan. 19 that it would dispense the drugs at a limited number of pharmacies and through the mail.