Cheddar News takes a deeper look into Wednesday's news that the FDA will allow retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills.

Today Explained: Will New FDA Rulings Change Abortion Regulations?

and it's time now for today, explain where we break down some of the biggest stories in the news, how we got here and where we go next. And we told you yesterday how after a ruling by the Food and Drug Administration, retail pharmacies are now allowed to offer abortion pills. But there's much more of a consequential issue here. Will this ruling really expand access to abortion pills across the country? So we dug in a little deeper and here's what we found out. Nothing is expected to change in states that already limit or ban access to abortion pills. And according to the Guttmacher Institute, that's more than half of us states, 29 states specifically require physicians, not physician's assistants or nurses to be the one To administer medication abortions. 18 of those states also require a physician to be physically present when the patient takes the pill. That requirement effectively bans the use of telehealth for medication abortions, even though clinical evidence has shown that the practice is appropriate and safe. So let's take this a step further though, pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens plan to start offering these prescription pills where abortion is legal. None of this is going to impact people seeking abortions in states with existing bands. And that's important because medication abortion now accounts for about half of all U. S. Abortions