The fate of Roe v. Wade hangs in the balance after last week’s Supreme Court hearing and the Supreme Court’s latest decision to allow Texas’ repressive Senate Bill 8 to remain in effect despite allowing abortion providers to sue state officials to block the ban. As a result, reproductive rights activists advocate for advanced provisions and abortion-by-mail options to sidestep repressive state laws on surgical abortions. While the FDA has approved the use of the abortion pill for up to 10 weeks and has lifted in-person dispensing requirements for the duration of the pandemic with a pending long-term reevaluation that could be announced as soon as next week, states like Texas are still imposing contradictory laws. Last week, on the heels of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments, Texas’ Senate Bill 4 went into effect, which criminalizes medication abortions after seven weeks and requires in-person dispensing, prohibiting pills to be mailed to patients. Activists are saying this development could cause trigger bills across other red states, placing limitations on medication abortions, adding more constraints on abortion care, and putting pregnant people at risk. “It’s never been more clear that anti-abortion laws are designed to stop access to abortion care and have never been about safety,” says Ana Rodriguez, campaigns director for Lilith Fund, a reproductive equity organization based in Austin, Texas. “These laws always impact Black, Indigenous, and other people of color the most. It’s a really scary time for people who need access to abortion care, as well as the network of support that wants to help people access abortion care.” Read more