An announcement by CVS and Walgreens that they'll begin stocking mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill, in some of its stores has pro-choice advocates excited. 

"They can go to their own care provider no matter who that provider is for abortion care and get the prescription," said Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s President and CEO Wendy Stark. "That provider doesn't have to have the medication in their own office, and then go to the CVS or the Walgreens and get it covered.”

The pill remains at the center of a legal battle between anti-abortion organizations and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Supreme Court is expected to hear a case that could curb how the pill is distributed, potentially banning telehealth prescriptions and shipments by mail of the drug.

Stark said expanding access to mifepristone is necessary, especially in rural communities.  

“Being able to get that care through telehealth, and then being able to go to a close by pharmacy, really prevent people from having the barrier of transportation, which is often such a barrier in health care overall for people in the United States," she said. 

Opponents of the drug claim the FDA ignored safety risks during its approval.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists filed an amicus brief in response to the legal challenge, stating, in part, that 20 years of scientific data found that mifepristone was not dangerous and has a safety profile comparable to ibuprofen. 

“It's been used by more than 5 million people in the United States since the FDA approved it more than 20 years ago," Stark said. "The FDA approved it as being safe and effective.” 

Walgreens said in the interest of safety, it will not yet disclose the number of sites per state or identify the pharmacies that are dispensing the drug. It added that it plans to expand to more, legally permissible states in a phased approach.