Washington pharmacists prescribe abortion pills through new pilot program
A Washington state-based nonprofit has launched a program training pharmacists to prescribe abortion medications via telehealth, a model that organizers hope other states will adopt to expand abortion access.
Abortion is broadly legal in Washington state up to the point of fetal viability, which is generally considered to be between 24 and 26 weeks of pregnancy. But Dr. Beth Rivin, president and CEO of nonprofit Uplift International, said there are still many individuals who face barriers to abortion access in Washington because of where they live, how much money they make and other factors. Those people can benefit most from having access to telehealth, Rivin said, and having pharmacists available helps increase that availability.
The nonprofit partnered with an online pharmacy called Honeybee Health to launch what theyre calling the Pharmacist Abortion Access Project. Ten pharmacists were recruited and trained to prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol, the standard U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medication abortion regimen, to patients in Washington up to 10 weeks gestation.
Rivin said the team created its training protocol with Dr. Sarah Prager, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington. The program also has a list of clinics where patients can be referred if any in-person follow-up care is necessary, including ultrasounds, blood tests or other exams.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/01/07/washington-pharmacists-prescribe-abortion-pills-through-new-pilot-program/