Paulin’s Bill would allow pharmacists to dispense abortion medication with non-patient specific prescriptions, allowing NYers to easily purchase and send the medication out of state
Albany, NY – Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has reintroduced legislation A.1172/S.2533 to expand abortion access by allowing pharmacists to dispense abortion medication with the use of non-patient specific prescriptions. Her bill would allow abortion medication to be purchased from a pharmacy without presenting a prescription to the pharmacist. Purchasers could then mail the medication out of state.
“As states around the country continue to ban and limit access to abortions, it’s not surprising that a doctor in New York has now been indicted by Louisiana over providing an abortion medication prescription to someone in Louisiana via telemedicine. Rather than remain in shock and disbelief however, we just need to take action and respond by expanding abortion medication access for New Yorkers so that they can easily help women out-of-state without a potential legal threat looming over them,” said Paulin. “And that is exactly what my bill would do.”
Under Paulin’s bill, a doctor, or any New Yorker, could purchase abortion medication at a pharmacy in New York, and send it to someone out-of-state. “The bill would make it impossible for Louisiana or any other state to pinpoint who the abortion medication is coming from,” said Paulin. “Someone could mail it with no return address. States like Louisiana would essentially have no means to find let alone punish a New Yorker for mailing out abortion medication. Right now I see this bill as the only foolproof way of fighting back against states that are blocking access to reproductive healthcare in this country.”
The abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol are drugs which can be safely self-administered by a patient at home over a 2-day period in order to medically induce an abortion. Mifepristone and misoprostol can be taken up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy.
While current State law allows abortion medication to be prescribed by a licensed physician, certified nurse practitioner or properly licensed midwife, Paulin’s bill would allow these healthcare professionals to prescribe a non-patient specific regimen of abortion medication to be dispensed by a pharmacist, eliminating the need for someone to walk into the pharmacy with their own prescription. “Once someone has the medication in hand,” says Paulin “they can mail it to whoever needs it around the country.”
Abortion medication is appropriate for a non-patient specific prescription model because it is safe and effective, has few side effects, and directions for its use are so simple that physician oversight is not needed. “Abortion medication has been widely and safely used in this way for many years throughout India and Mexico, and now in Washington State as well,” said Paulin. “Pharmacists always advise that if a woman has any issue when taking abortion medication, that they go to an emergency room. This is standard procedure and will not change under a non-patient specific prescription model. So we’re not adding any risk, we’re just expanding access.”
“In light of what Louisiana has just done, I’m putting forward this bill to fight back,” said Paulin. “I see it as the best way to both protect New Yorkers from out-of-state lawsuits and indictments, and help women outside of New York gain access to an abortion.”
A.1172/S.2533 is sponsored in the New York State Senate by State Senator Rachel May.
