Meredith Wilson, a teacher in Seattle, said “Historically privileged, either privileged socioeconomically and racially white people, rich people, have always had options. Abortion isn’t just new for a lower income or black and brown women. I think it’s for all women. But having this access to an abortion pill gives black and brown and lower income women more options that other people have always had.”
Another Seattle resident Karen Bravo Garcia said she felt a little sad.
“I am Catholic, so my opinions are based and founded on my religion. So to me, it’s like it literally is what it is, which is you’re killing your child. But it’s like right now, I know that the cost of living is ridiculous. The pay rate does not match up to the cost of living here in Seattle especially. So it’s understandable,” Garcia said.
“I’m not an absolutist. Like I don’t think abortions on demand at any point. But I think what we had prior to the Dobbs decision was a reasonable compromise, where viability was the threshold that everybody can just agree on. And I wish it was still the case,” said another resident Christina Dawson.
Seattle resident Raya Smith meanwhile raised health concerns over the daily contraceptive.
“I don’t know, like the side effects of the abortion pill, and they’re saying it’s more effective than the last contraceptives. So it’s like what is different from this one than the other one? So it’s like, what exactly are we going to be putting in our body?”
Opill, sold by Perrigo, was first approved for prescription use in 1973, and the over-the-counter approval allows people to obtain it without first seeing a healthcare provider.
The approval comes as more states ban abortion following a ruling by the Supreme Court last year that overturned the Roe v. Wade decision to legalize the procedure nationwide.
