The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped how the country offers medical services and prescription drugs. What once required a face-to-face visit now only requires a video chat or an app-based message to a care provider, followed by a script sent to a pharmacy or drugs mailed.
Abortion pills were swept into this global trend, leading to allowances for fewer safeguards. In 2020, the FDA authorized a temporary pandemic-related suspension removing the requirement for an in-person visit to receive the abortion pill due to coronavirus concerns.
So what’s the current legal status? Was the suspension temporary or did it become permanent?
Here’s what changed and what remains in place today.
Also, if you’re considering abortion, whether via telehealth or in-person, you can protect your health and safety by first scheduling an ultrasound. Legal doesn’t always mean safe, and taking abortion pills without an ultrasound can put you at risk for preventable complications. Search for care near you.
Six Years Later: What’s Legal and Illegal?
The legal events that followed 2020 led to the abortion pill switching back to in-person only, and then eventually back to being allowed via mail in December 2021. Then, in 2022, the overturn of Roe v. Wade led to individual states now setting and enforcing their own abortion laws.
Here’s a breakdown of the laws as of February 6, 2026, with the understanding that laws are always subject to change.
The following states and DC allow abortion telehealth and mail-order abortion pills:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Kansas
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
The following states require an in-person visit before prescribing the abortion pill. This rules out telehealth as a legal option.
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Florida
- Iowa
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- Utah
- Wisconsin
Note: States that completely ban abortion aren’t listed here, even if they require an in-person visit for exceptions.
The following states require an ultrasound before prescribing the abortion pill. This also rules out telemedicine as a legal option in these states.
- Arizona
- Florida
- Iowa
- South Carolina
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Note: States that completely ban abortion aren’t listed here, even if they require an ultrasound for exceptions.
The following states enforce a 6-week gestational limit that restricts the abortion pill before the FDA-approved timeframe of ten weeks. This detail factors into mail-order abortion timing and legality.
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- South Carolina
The following states have an explicit ban on telehealth abortion and/or mailing abortion drugs:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Indiana
- Florida
- Kentucky
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Texas
- West Virginia
The following states ban abortion totally, making telehealth and mail-order abortion illegal in their states.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisianna
- Mississippi
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia
A Changing Abortion Landscape
Abortion laws have changed drastically over the last six years and continue to change. The varying laws have brought up additional legal questions, such as how to handle when a prescriber from a state where abortion is legal sends abortion pills to a state where abortion is illegal.
These questions are still being hashed out between states and courts.
The Bottom Line: Check Your State and Be Safe
Always check your local laws when considering an abortion. With changes happening quickly, it’s essential to have up-to-date information.
Secondly, while not every state requires an in-person visit and an ultrasound before an abortion pill prescription, these steps are incredibly crucial for safeguarding your health and safety.
Ensuring that you know how far along you are (your gestational age) and whether or not you have an existing ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage can safeguard your reproductive health from preventable and potentially life-threatening complications.
Find a no-cost ultrasound near you using our directory. Regardless of your state laws, you can receive an ultrasound to reveal your available options and learn your specific pregnancy details.
All abortion information cited in this blog is accurate at the time of writing.
The legal information in this blog originated from KFF.org.