Should You Stock Up On The Abortion Pill Now? Here's What Experts Say

After the 2024 election , women's reproductive rights are front and center of the news cycle, once again.

According to reports , there has already been a surge in demand for mifepristone, a.k.a. the abortion pill . With that, it's understandable to wonder if you should stock up.

Of course, there's still a lot that people don't know about what's to come. Still, here's what an expert recommends keeping in mind.

Meet the expert: Liz Taylor, senior federal policy counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights .

What is the shelf life of the abortion pill? Do abortion pills expire?

Mifepristone usually has a shelf life of about five years, according to Plan C . Meaning, you could theoretically have it on-hand and it will be good for half a decade.

The best way to tell the shelf life of the abortion pill is to look at the expiration date stamped on the package. Keep in mind that some medications may be good beyond the expiration date, but it can be hard to tell for sure.

Is it safe to stock up on the abortion pill? Is it legal?

For now, you can still get abortion pills by mail, even in states that ban abortion, according to Plan C .

However, getting abortion pills by mail is a target of Project 2025 , a framework laid out by conservative allies of president-elect Donald Trump. Anti-abortion lawmakers could try to enforce the 1873 Comstock Act —a law that prevents contraceptives, so-called "lewd" materials, and drugs that could be used to terminate a pregnancy from being shipped in the mail—to make getting the abortion pill much more difficult, Jennifer Driver, the senior director of reproductive rights at State Innovation Exchange , previously told Women's Health .

Whether this will actually become a priority for lawmakers remains to be seen.

Should I stock up on the abortion pill?

Possibly. A lot depends on your personal needs, where you live, and what you want for your future. Keep in mind that some states actually voted to codify abortion care this election cycle (including Colorado, Nevada, Maryland, Montana, and New York), while others (like Missouri and Arizona) expanded abortion access.

If you're concerned, it's worth having a conversation with a trusted doctor, says Liz Taylor, senior federal policy counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

"Women can always ask their healthcare providers about an extended supply of contraception—your insurance might cover up to a year's worth at once—as well as advanced provision of contraception or medication abortion, which means getting it now even if you don't need it now," she says.

But if you're open to the idea of supplying the abortion pill to friends, keep in mind that this can be a gray legal situation in some states. It could even land you in jail, whether medication abortion is legal in your state or not.

Overall, Taylor recommends having a deep think on your own needs around reproductive care. "I would strongly encourage women to continue using the birth control method that works best for them, and to make those decisions based on their own preferences and not out of anxiety or fear," she says.

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