On the sun-splashed shores of Florida’s St. Pete and Clearwater beaches this August, beachgoers are seeing more than just waves and sand—they’re witnessing a bold new chapter in the ongoing battle over reproductive rights in America. A digital boat advertisement, orchestrated by the advocacy group Mayday.Health, floats past, emblazoned with the words “MIFEPRISTONE AND MISOPROSTOL”—the two FDA-approved drugs used for medication abortions. The message is simple, but the implications are anything but, highlighting the growing tension between evolving health care options and the tightening grip of state laws.
“In a state like Florida, where abortion access has been significantly restricted, many people still don’t know these options exist,” Tamara Stein, deputy director of Mayday.Health, told local media. “Our campaign is designed to spark curiosity, prompt people to search for information, and ultimately empower them to make informed decisions. It’s bold, it’s visible, and it cuts through the noise.”
Yet, as the campaign makes waves, it also highlights the legal quagmire facing both patients and providers. Florida law is clear: abortion pills must be ordered by a physician and dispensed in person at a clinic or doctor’s office. Telehealth is forbidden for abortion care, and mailing abortion pills is a criminal offense. As state statutes put it, “Any medications intended for use in a medical abortion must be dispensed in person by a physician and may not be dispensed through the United States Postal Service or by any other courier or shipping service.” Violating the law is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Despite these restrictions, Floridians are finding ways to access abortion pills, often turning to websites like Mayday.Health, PlanCPills.org, and Aid Access. Bree Wallace, director for case management with the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund, noted, “Many Floridians and people in other states with abortion bans use websites like Mayday or other trusted resources to find information about accessing pills on their own.”
But with innovation comes risk. Tallahassee attorney Julie Gallagher, an abortion-rights advocate, emphasized the danger: “I would say the pills are safe, but it’s not legal to get them through the mail in Florida. You have to go to a clinic and you have to get the doctor to dispense directly to you.” She added, “Do you want to go to a physician who is willing to violate the law? And possibly put you in a situation where you’re violating the law? I wouldn’t.”
Florida’s abortion landscape is among the most restrictive in the nation. Abortions are legal only through six weeks of pregnancy—before many women even realize they’re pregnant. There are exceptions for rape, incest, or human trafficking up to 15 weeks, and for life-threatening conditions or fatal fetal abnormalities, but even then, the rules are stringent. A patient must undergo a sonogram, wait 24 hours, and—if a minor—secure parental permission. Only physicians can perform abortions, and two must certify the statutory criteria unless it’s an emergency.
The impact of these laws is profound. According to a 2024 study by #WeCount, 13,380 abortions in Florida were provided under shield laws, which are legal protections enacted by some states to reduce the legal risk for clinicians offering abortion to patients from states where the procedure is banned or severely restricted. The study shows that 25% of abortions nationwide were delivered through telehealth by the end of 2024, and more than 14% of the 92,040 abortions performed in Florida that year were provided via telehealth—despite state law.
The Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project (The MAP) told WBUR in April that it expected to mail 2,500 abortion pill packages that month alone, with just over half destined for Texas, Georgia, and Florida. While shield laws offer some protection for out-of-state clinicians, patients remain exposed to significant legal risks.
Cheyenne Drews, reproductive freedom program director with Progress Florida, underscored the dilemma: “Florida bans abortion before many people realize they’re pregnant. And not everyone can afford to travel, take off work, or coordinate childcare in order to leave the state for abortion care.” She added, “Research shows that with the right information and support, having an abortion at home is overwhelmingly safe, and organizations like Repro Legal Helpline are helping people understand their specific legal risks.”
The legal landscape is shifting rapidly. The FDA first approved mifepristone for pregnancy termination in 2000, extending its approval to 10 weeks in 2016. The drug, which blocks the hormone progesterone, is used in combination with misoprostol, which induces uterine contractions. Over 60% of all abortions in the formal health care system in 2023 were medication abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
But while the science is clear, the law is not. In July, a Texas man sued a California doctor in federal court for allegedly sending abortion pills to his partner, and doctors like Maggie Carpenter have faced criminal charges for prescribing over state lines, relying on shield laws for protection. Florida’s statutes only require a physician to register as a telehealth provider, meaning the state Board of Medicine cannot rescind the license of a telehealth provider who violates abortion law, adding to the confusion.
Beyond Florida, the national picture is even more complex. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion has become illegal in 12 states, with very few exceptions. Another 11 states have “hostile” laws, with severely restricted access. CDC data shows that pregnant people in states with abortion bans are nearly twice as likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon after compared to those in states with accessible abortion care. The stakes are especially high for veterans: more than half of female veterans of reproductive age live in states that ban abortion, a point underscored by recent efforts to roll back abortion coverage for pregnant veterans at the federal level.
Pro-life lawmakers and activists, meanwhile, have sought to reframe the conversation, promoting alternatives like “maternal fetal separation” procedures and restorative reproductive medicine (RRM). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, however, calls “maternal-fetal separation” a misleading term, stating, “This is a misleading term used to disguise the fact that a person needs or has had an abortion or to imply that there is a medical intervention that is an alternative to abortion.”
Attacks on In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) have also intensified, particularly after a 2025 Alabama Supreme Court ruling that fertilized embryos have the same legal rights as children, potentially exposing IVF providers to legal action. The debate over reproductive rights now extends far beyond abortion, encompassing fertility treatments and holistic alternatives, all against a backdrop of shifting laws and mounting uncertainty.
As the debate rages, one thing is clear: the patchwork of laws, advocacy efforts, and medical realities has left many Americans—especially in states like Florida—facing difficult choices and uncertain futures. The floating boat ads may be bold, but for many, the struggle for reproductive autonomy is anything but distant. It’s right at their doorstep, or perhaps, just offshore.
