The overturn of Roe v. Wade in June has changed the lives of many women, some have been carrying pregnancies they did not want, others are seeking ways to terminate them now that abortion has become illegal in their states. Increasingly, some are turning to telemedicine to get abortion pills. Because of access to the pills, a gray zone for providing abortion has emerged since the court’s decision. “Tele-abortion” (or virtual abortion) is safe and effective, though in states with bans, the delivery mechanism is not legal—though easily accessible.
Only one telemedicine service, Aid Access, openly provides pills in states with abortion bans. In the months preceding a leaked draft of the Supreme Court decision, Aid Access received an average of 83 requests a day from people seeking abortion pills in 30 states. In 27 of those states, abortion is now banned, or is likely to be banned, or only allowed during the first six week of pregnancy. For comparison’s sake, the study also included 3 states where the procedure is still widely available.
Across the 30 states, requests to Aid Access for pills has risen to about 218 a day since the Court released its decision. The largest increases in queries came from states that enacted total bans.
Providing abortion pills via telemedicine, across state lines, raises legal questions. The Dutch physician Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, the founder of Aid Access, writes prescriptions for abortion pills for women in red states, using her Austrian medical license. One of the doctors who works with Gomperts, texted the New York Times reporter writing a story on the issue, “I just want to scream, ‘This is a public health emergency!’”. Abortion opponents, on the other hand, say their state laws should bind out-of-state providers.
While the dispute plays out, women are availing themselves of the tele-abortion option.
