Upcoming Supreme Court abortion decision puts spotlight on medication abortion

Washington — While the Supreme Court considers whether to scrap its nearly five-decade-old decision in Roe v. Wade, the war over abortion rights is moving into a new chapter, with both sides of the issue girding for states to shift their focus to medication that induces abortion in early pregnancy.

The upcoming decision from the high court, coupled with a possible easing of federal rules governing how abortion pills are dispensed, has brought new urgency to efforts in Republican-led states to place new limits on medication abortion. 

"Medication abortion is one more lens through which we see that we are witnessing a tale of two countries," Jessica Arons, senior advocacy and policy counsel for reproductive freedom at the American Civil Liberties Union, told CBS News. "Half the states are protecting access to abortion and half are trying every single way they can to eliminate access to abortion care."