Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion access has become increasingly divided across the United States. Some states have moved to protect abortion rights, while others have banned or heavily restricted abortion. In Louisiana, lawmakers have considered banning mifepristone and misoprostol, the two medications used in medication abortion, with penalties up to ten years in jail. These growing restrictions have also increased interest in expanding safe and accessible abortion care.
On April 6, 2026, Dr. Daniel Grossman released a study on the possibility of an over-the-counter abortion pill. Currently, medication abortion is only available through a health care provider, but the study could inform future conversations with the FDA about whether abortion pills could eventually get approved for over-the-counter use.
The study focused on whether people could correctly determine if they were eligible to use medication abortion without consulting a doctor first. The experts were given a prototype packaging called “MiMi,” named after mifepristone and misoprostol. Participants read the MiMi box and used the information to decide whether the medication was safe and appropriate for them.
Out of 162 participants, the vast majority said the packaging was easy to understand. More than 88% correctly identified whether they were eligible. These findings suggest that it is possible for people to understand medication abortion instructions without direct medical supervision.
Grossman acknowledges that the study used a small sample size of 162 participants, so the results may not necessarily apply to all people. Still, Grossman believes the findings are important because they show that the idea warrants further research. Grossman explains, “It does start to point in a direction to suggest that this might make scientific sense, and it deserves further research.”
Recent polling also suggests broad public support for medication abortion access. The majority of Americans believe medication abortion should be legal in their state and a KFF poll found that most Americans oppose efforts to ban mifepristone nationwide or restrict the mailing of abortion pills. The KFF survey also found that more Americans view abortion pills as safe than unsafe when used as directed, reflecting growing public familiarity with medication abortion as access becomes increasingly central to the national debate over reproductive health care.
The next phase of the process would involve “actual-use studies,” which examine how people use the medication in real-world situations, outside of a controlled study environment. While over-the-counter abortion pills are not currently available, this research is still significant. The future of abortion access may continue to change as doctors, researchers, lawmakers, and the public debate what safe and accessible care should look like.