OLYMPIA, WA – Advocates for reproductive care are celebrating a new law which will increase access to medication abortions for Washingtonians.
In 2023, the state spent about $1.2 million on a three-year supply of mifepristone and misoprostol, two medications commonly used for abortion and miscarriage care, as a safeguard against legal threats to access. But much of the medication still remains undistributed and is set to expire.
Dr. Zoe Taylor, a family medicine specialist in Bellingham, said the new law removes barriers so the medication can be sold for cheaper or donated more easily. She stressed it will be a big help because the medication can cost patients hundreds of dollars.
“There are people every day who can’t afford this medication who need it in this country,” Taylor pointed out. “There are providers who are trying to stay in the black but trying to let people pay what they can. And so if we can donate it to those providers too, I mean, this is just such a no-brainer.”
Initial rules required the state to sell the medication at “list price” plus a $5 fee, which was higher than provider rates, hindering distribution. Republican lawmakers argued against the new law, saying because the stockpile of medication is about to expire, it shows the initial purchase was unnecessary.
With Washington seeing more patients from other states seeking reproductive care, Taylor argued the Department of Health should sell or donate the medications to mail-order pharmacies as well as clinics. She noted it would ease access for both patients and providers.
“The more of that we can do by telemedicine or through the mail, the less we make people travel, the less we make people take off work, the less they have to figure out child care,” Taylor added.
She emphasized more telemedicine means more appointments stay available for Washingtonians who need in-person care. Taylor underscored using medication for early pregnancy loss and termination is safe and common in the first trimester. Medication abortion accounts for nearly 70% of abortions in Washington and costs an average of $600.
