Republican-majority legislatures have continued to focus on abortion medication by proposing legislation to further restrict mifepristone and misoprostol. GOP lawmakers are advancing bills that would allow people to sue out-of-state abortion providers and manufacturers.

Measures popping up in Missouri, South Carolina and West Virginia echo a law Texas passed last year that lets residents sue anyone involved in sending abortion pills into their states.

Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats in other states — even those that restrict abortion — have joined forces to endorse legislation that could make it easier to access contraception.

Lawmakers in Georgia and Tennessee are considering bills that would allow pharmacists to prescribe contraception and require insurers to cover up to 12 months’ worth of birth control. Democratic strongholds like New York and Virginia have moved legislation that would set up vending machines filled with emergency contraception on certain college campuses and codify the right to contraception.

Our reproductive rights reporting team will be tracking related bills through biweekly roundups as sessions continue this winter and into the spring. Depending on the partisan makeup of a state’s legislature and other state government officials, some bills have a better chance of passing and becoming law than others.

Republican-led states take swings at mifepristone

West Virginia

Senate Bill 173: The bill would make it illegal to send abortion pills to West Virginia. Doctors could risk losing their medical licenses, and nonmedical professionals could face three to 10 years in prison for mailing abortion medication into the state, West Virginia Watch reported.

The bill exempts women who take abortion pills and doctors who prescribe abortion medication for other purposes, such as miscarriage management. People could also sue the person or entity that sent abortion pills into West Virginia for up to $10,000 in damages. An amendment by Republican Senator Eric Tarr would require those who sue to contact the attorney general, according to the Watch.

Sponsor: Republican Senator Chris Rose

Status: In the Senate Judiciary Committee

Missouri

House Bill 2294: While the main focus of this bill is requiring providers to care for babies if they are born after an attempted abortion, the measure would also allow people to sue those involved in helping Missourians get abortion medication, Missouri Independent reported.

Abortion is legal up to fetal viability in Missouri after roughly 52 percent of voters approved a reproductive rights amendment in November 2024, but medication abortion is unavailable at clinics due to longstanding restrictions that were the subject of a trial last month. The Republican-controlled legislature also placed a measure on the ballot asking voters to decide whether to once again ban most abortions.

Sponsor: Republican Representative Holly Jones

Status: In the Senate after House approval on Jan. 29

Iowa

Senate Study Bill 3115: An Iowa Senate subcommittee advanced a bill Monday that would require abortion medication to be dispensed in-person and make doctors tell patients it’s possible to reverse the effects of mifepristone, which is false, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.

Providers would also have to collect information about abortion complications caused by mifepristone and misoprostol if the bill becomes law. Since 2024, abortions after six weeks of gestation have been banned in Iowa except in cases of rape, incest and to save the pregnant person’s life.

Sponsors: Republican Senators Jason Schultz and Cherielynn Westrich

Status: In the Senate Health and Human Services Committee

South Carolina

House Bill 4760: The South Carolina House approved a bill earlier this month that would classify abortion medication as Schedule IV drugs similar to Valium and Xanax, SC Daily Gazette reported. People who have the drugs without a prescription could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, but women who take the pills are exempt from prosecution.

Anyone who gives a woman abortion drugs without her knowledge could face up to life in prison — the bill initially stated the punishment would be up to 10 years behind bars. The legislation would also allow prospective parents and other relatives to sue manufacturers, providers and distributors of abortion pills if use of the drug causes harm to the mother or fetus.

Sponsor: Republican Representative Weston Newton

Status: In the Senate Committee on Medical Affairs after House approval on Wednesday, Feb. 4

Uptick in measures that would increase contraceptive access

Georgia

House Bill 1138: This bill would allow pharmacists to prescribe contraception to adult patients, Georgia Recorder reported Monday. Patients under 18 could get birth control from pharmacists if they have prior prescriptions from a doctor. Thirty states and Washington, D.C., allow pharmacists to prescribe and counsel patients on contraceptive care, according to KFF.

Sponsor: Republican Representative Beth Camp

Status: In the House Health Committee

Tennessee

SB 0589/HB 0169: The bipartisan legislation would require private health care plans to cover a yearlong supply of contraception. TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, already provides 12-month supplies of birth control, according to a fiscal memo. The measure would take effect in July 2027 if it becomes law.

Sponsors: Democratic Senator Raumesh Akbari and Republican Representative Esther Helton-Haynes

Status: Approved by the House on Monday, Feb. 9, and by the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 10

New York

Senate Bills 1703, 8869, 2058: A trio of bills introduced in the New York Senate last month would expand access to birth control. One would allow pharmacists to inject Depo-Provera shots, a birth control injection administered every three months. Pharmacists can already provide other forms of contraception — pills, patches and rings, but they cannot yet provide the shots.

A complementary bill would ensure pharmacists receive reimbursements from health insurance plans for providing contraceptive care. A third bill would require state and city universities to install emergency contraception vending machines on campus.

Sponsors: Democratic Senators Lea Webb and James Skoufis

Status: In the Assembly after Senate approval for all three in January

Virginia

Senate Bill 596: The Virginia Senate passed a bill Tuesday, Feb. 10, that would ensure people have the right to receive and prescribe contraception in the commonwealth. The legislation advanced in previous sessions, but former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin would not sign it. Now that Democrats have a trifecta of power in the state, the legislation will likely become law.

Sponsor: Democratic Del. Marcia “Cia” Price

Status: In the House Health and Human Services Committee after Senate approval on Feb. 10