US regulators lift in-person restrictions on abortion pill

By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators are lifting long-standing restrictions on how women obtain the abortion pill. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will no longer require women to pick up the medication in person. The decision is certain to spur legal challenges and new restrictions in Republican-led states amid the ongoing battle over abortion. Earlier this year the FDA stopped enforcing the in-person dispending requirement because of the pandemic. Under Thursday’s decision the agency will permanently drop the rule, which has long been opposed by medical societies and pro-abortion groups.