Roe v. Wade Leak Effect Kicks In, Abortion Prescription Pills Interest Sees Huge Spike

A provider of prescription pills used to terminate a pregnancy at home has seen increased interest from U.S. women this week, following news that the Supreme Court would likely reverse a landmark 1973 decision ensuring abortion rights nationwide, nonprofit Aid Access said.

The court confirmed that a draft opinion signaling a reversal of the Roe v. Wade ruling, published by the news site Politico, was authentic, writes Reuters.

The court also noted that it did not represent the justices' final decision, due by the end of June.

Many U.S. states have introduced restrictions that significantly limit access to abortions. Many are expected to ban the procedure outright should the court's final decision allow individual states to determine whether it is legal.

Also Read: Biden Warns Roe V. Wade Overturn Would Disrupt 'Whole Range Of Rights'

The Aid Access website had 38,530 visitors on Tuesday, an almost 2,900% increase from Monday's 1,290 visitors, representing "insanely higher numbers," said Christie Pitney, CEO of Forward Midwifery, a telehealth practice.

"I have talked to many clinicians who are stocking up (on the pills) to ensure they have access to it," Pitney said.

Medication abortion recently became the most common method of terminating a pregnancy in the U.S, accounting for 54% of all abortions in 2020, preliminary findings by the Guttmacher Institute show.

Related: Edward Snowden On Roe V. Wade Draft Opinion: 'Most Fundamental Of Our Freedoms Are Inabrogable'

There were 862,300 abortions in 2017, according to the group's latest available data. Medication abortion accounted for 39% of them that year.

Photo by Thomas Breher from Pixabay