About 40% of all abortions in the United States are now performed by medication – rather than surgery – and this option has become even more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Advocates for abortion rights say the pandemic has demonstrated the value of virtually provided medical care, including the privacy and convenience of abortions that occur in a woman’s home, rather than a clinic. . Opponents of abortion, concerned that the method is becoming more prevalent, are pushing legislation in several states led by the Republic to restrict it and, in some cases, banning suppliers from prescribing drugs for abortion. telemedicine abortion.
Ohio enacted a ban this year, proposing felony charges for doctors who violated it. The law would go into effect next week, but a judge has temporarily blocked it in response to a Planned Parenthood lawsuit.
In Montana, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte is expected to sign a ban on telemedicine abortions. The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Sharon Greef, has described drug abortions as “the wild west of the abortion industry” and says the drugs should be taken under the close supervision of medical professionals, “no as part of a DIY abortion away from a clinic or hospital. “
Opponents of the bans say telemedicine abortions are safe and that banning them would have a disproportionate effect on rural residents facing the nearest abortion clinic.
“When we look at what state legislatures are doing, it is clear that there is no medical basis for these restrictions,” said Elisabeth Smith, chief adviser on state policy and advocacy for the Center for Reproductive Rights. “It’s just intended to make it harder to access this incredibly safe drug and sow doubts about the relationship between patients and providers.”
Other legislation has tried to ban the delivery of abortion pills by mail, shorten the ten-week period allowed by the method, and require doctors to tell women suffering from drug-induced abortions that the process can be reversed in half. – a claim that critics say is not backed by science.
It is part of a broader wave of anti-abortion measures that many states are considering this year, including some that would ban almost all abortions. Proponents of the bills hope the U.S. Supreme Court, now with a 6-3 Conservative majority, will be open to overturning or weakening the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the nationwide right to end pregnancies.
Medication-oriented abortion legislation was inspired in part by pandemic developments, when the Food and Drug Administration (under federal court order) eased restrictions on abortion pills so they could be sent by mail. The requirement for women to collect them in person is back, but opponents of abortion are concerned that the Biden administration will put an end to these restrictions once and for all. Abortion rights groups urge this step.
With the rules raised in December, Planned Parenthood in the St. Louis region. Louis would send pills for telemedicine abortions supervised by his health center in Fairview Heights, Illinois.
A single mother from Cairo, Illinois, more than two hours drive from the clinic, chose this option. She learned she was pregnant a few months after giving birth to her second child.
“It wouldn’t have been a good situation to bring another child into the world,” said the 32-year-old, who spoke on the condition that her name not be used to protect her family’s privacy.
“The fact that I could do it in the comfort of my own home was a good feeling,” he added.
She was relieved to avoid a long trip and thanked the clinic employee who spoke to her during the procedure.
“I didn’t feel alone,” she said. “I felt safe.”
Drug abortion has been available in the United States since 2000, when the FDA approved the use of mifepristone. Taken with misoprostol, it is the so-called abortion pill.
The popularity of the method has grown steadily. The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, estimates that it accounts for approximately 40% of all abortions in the U.S. and 60% of those that occur within 10 weeks of gestation.
“Beyond its exceptionally safe and effective history, what makes drug abortion so significant is how convenient and private it can be,” said Megan Donovan, Guttmacher’s senior policy manager. “That’s exactly why he’s still under heavy restrictions.”
Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio, which includes Cincinnati, says drug abortions account for a quarter of the abortions it provides. Of last year’s 1,558 drug abortions, only 9% were performed by telemedicine, but the organization’s president, Kersha Deibel, said the option is important for many economically disadvantaged women and for women. of rural areas.
Mike Gonidakis, Ohio’s president at the time, denied that “no woman deserves to be subjected to the terrible process of a chemical abortion potentially hours away from the doctor who prescribed the drug.”
In Montana, where Planned Parenthood operates five of the state’s seven abortion clinics, 75% of abortions are done through medication, a huge change for the past ten years.
Martha Stahl, president of Planned Parenthood of Montana, says the pandemic, which is increasing dependence on telemedicine, has contributed to an increase in the proportion of drug abortions.
In the vast state, home to rural communities and seven Native American reservations, many women live more than five hours away from the nearest abortion clinic. For them, access to telemedicine can be important.
Greef, who sponsored the ban on telemedicine abortions, said the measure would ensure providers could monitor for signs of domestic abuse or sex trafficking while treating patients in person.
However, proponents of the telemedicine method say patients appreciate comfort and privacy.
“Some have a bad relationship or are victims of domestic violence,” said Christina Theriault, a Maine Family Planning nurse who can perform abortions under state law. “With telemedicine they can do it without their partner knowing. There is a lot of relief. “
The group has health centers in the far north of Maine, where women can take abortion pills and take them home under the supervision of health care providers who communicate by phone or video conference. It saves women a three- to four-hour drive to the nearest abortion clinic in Bangor, Theriault said.
Maine Family Planning is part of a small group of vendors participating in an FDA-approved research program allowing women to receive the abortion pill by mail after video consultations. According to the program, the Maine group can also mail pills to women in New York and Massachusetts.
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Samuels is a member of the body of The Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit services program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on covert issues.