Read Next
Human Interest
Post-abortive woman shares dangers of abortion in new documentary
Lisa Bast
·Spotlight Articles
Abortion Pill·By Bridget Sielicki
Report: Number of Australian pharmacies stocking abortion pill rose 48.6%
A new study shows a 50% increase in the number of Australian pharmacies stocking the abortion pill after the country's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) loosened restrictions surrounding abortion pill distribution in 2023.
The number of pharmacies carrying the abortion pill in Australia has risen by 50%.
The increase follows the loosening of distribution restrictions in 2023.
Abortion advocates praised the increased pharmacy numbers for making abortion easier to access, but failed to note what happens to women when they experience complications.
In 2023, the TGA loosened restrictions surrounding abortion pill distribution, allowing the drug cocktail to be prescribed by any healthcare professional and with no restrictions on pharmacies that wished to carry it.
Prior to the policy change, only about 10% of doctors and 30% of pharmacies were certified to offer the abortion pill. Abortion advocates praised the change, predicting it would increase access to abortion throughout the country.
A new report indicates those predictions were correct.
The study published in JAMA Open Network on October 7 revealed that the number of pharmacies offering Australia's abortion pill regimen, MS-2, rose 48.6% after the TGA loosened restrictions. MS-2 consists of the same two drugs as the abortion pill in the U.S.: mifepristone and misoprostol.
Study authors compared pharmacy ordering data from 2021-2023, prior to the TGA's changes, to 2023-2025, the two years following. They found there were 2,228 pharmacies stocking it before the policy change, and 4,107 as of mid-2025. Additionally, the number of pharmacies in remote or rural areas carrying the nearly pill doubled, from 12.5% to 22%.
“It removes the unnecessary travel and stress around getting the medication once it’s prescribed. That’s super important, particularly for women who might be more disadvantaged, women living in rural, remote areas, and women who might not have the means to travel," claimed the study's lead author, Professor Kristina Edvardsson.
“If you can go to your local pharmacy and pick up this medication, it means getting care quicker."
While Edvardsson praised the widespread availability of the abortion pill for those who wish to access it, there was no mention of what happens to those women when they need emergency care following abortion pill complications — particularly in rural and remote areas.
The abortion pill is not as safe as it's claimed to be. Complications include heavy bleeding, severe cramping, and contractions, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headaches.
One study found the abortion pill is four times more dangerous than a first trimester surgical abortion
An analysis, “The Abortion Pill Harms Women,” published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), found that nearly 11% of women (10.93%) experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other serious or life-threatening adverse events following a mifepristone abortion.
Research carried out by the pro-abortion Gynuity has shown that six percent (6%) of women who take the abortion pill will require care at an ER or urgent care facility — and that is believed to be a low estimate.
Chemical abortion is not a harmless pill you pop when you have a medical problem — it's a deadly drug that has the potential to lead to serious complications. Women don't need more widespread or easier access to this chemical cocktail. They deserve care, support, and the truth.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Lisa Bast
·
Abortion Pill
Cassy Cooke
·
Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·
Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·
Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·
Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·
Analysis
Bridget Sielicki
·
Activism
Bridget Sielicki
·Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·
Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·
International
Bridget Sielicki
·Abortion Pill·By Bridget Sielicki
Report: Number of Australian pharmacies stocking abortion pill rose 48.6%
A new study shows a 50% increase in the number of Australian pharmacies stocking the abortion pill after the country's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) loosened restrictions surrounding abortion pill distribution in 2023.
The number of pharmacies carrying the abortion pill in Australia has risen by 50%.
The increase follows the loosening of distribution restrictions in 2023.
Abortion advocates praised the increased pharmacy numbers for making abortion easier to access, but failed to note what happens to women when they experience complications.
In 2023, the TGA loosened restrictions surrounding abortion pill distribution, allowing the drug cocktail to be prescribed by any healthcare professional and with no restrictions on pharmacies that wished to carry it.
Prior to the policy change, only about 10% of doctors and 30% of pharmacies were certified to offer the abortion pill. Abortion advocates praised the change, predicting it would increase access to abortion throughout the country.
A new report indicates those predictions were correct.
The study published in JAMA Open Network on October 7 revealed that the number of pharmacies offering Australia's abortion pill regimen, MS-2, rose 48.6% after the TGA loosened restrictions. MS-2 consists of the same two drugs as the abortion pill in the U.S.: mifepristone and misoprostol.
Study authors compared pharmacy ordering data from 2021-2023, prior to the TGA's changes, to 2023-2025, the two years following. They found there were 2,228 pharmacies stocking it before the policy change, and 4,107 as of mid-2025. Additionally, the number of pharmacies in remote or rural areas carrying the nearly pill doubled, from 12.5% to 22%.
“It removes the unnecessary travel and stress around getting the medication once it’s prescribed. That’s super important, particularly for women who might be more disadvantaged, women living in rural, remote areas, and women who might not have the means to travel," claimed the study's lead author, Professor Kristina Edvardsson.
“If you can go to your local pharmacy and pick up this medication, it means getting care quicker."
While Edvardsson praised the widespread availability of the abortion pill for those who wish to access it, there was no mention of what happens to those women when they need emergency care following abortion pill complications — particularly in rural and remote areas.
The abortion pill is not as safe as it's claimed to be. Complications include heavy bleeding, severe cramping, and contractions, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headaches.
One study found the abortion pill is four times more dangerous than a first trimester surgical abortion
An analysis, “The Abortion Pill Harms Women,” published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), found that nearly 11% of women (10.93%) experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other serious or life-threatening adverse events following a mifepristone abortion.
Research carried out by the pro-abortion Gynuity has shown that six percent (6%) of women who take the abortion pill will require care at an ER or urgent care facility — and that is believed to be a low estimate.
Chemical abortion is not a harmless pill you pop when you have a medical problem — it's a deadly drug that has the potential to lead to serious complications. Women don't need more widespread or easier access to this chemical cocktail. They deserve care, support, and the truth.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Lisa Bast
·Abortion Pill
Cassy Cooke
·Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·Analysis
Bridget Sielicki
·Activism
Bridget Sielicki
·Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·