US regulators lift in-person restrictions on abortion pill

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators are lifting long-standing restrictions on how women obtain the abortion pill.

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will no longer require women to pickup the medication in person, saying there's little scientific evidence for the 20-year-old rule.

The decision is certain to spur legal challenges and restrictions in Republican-led states amid the ongoing battle over abortion.

Earlier this the year the FDA stopped enforcing the in-person dispending requirement because of the pandemic.

Under Thursday's decision the agency will permanently drop the rule, which has long been opposed by medical societies and pro-abortion groups.