A wave of doctors, nurse practitioners, and other health care providers are getting licensed in multiple states so they can use telemedicine and mail-order pharmacies to help more women get medication abortions.
But they’re increasingly being stymied by state regulations. Many states already restrict doctors’ ability to consult with patients online or by phone and/or dispense abortion pills through mail-order pharmacies. A crop of new legislation could shut them out, pushed by lawmakers who oppose abortion and argue the medication is too risky to be prescribed without a thorough, in-person examination.
Last year, the FDA made it easier for health professionals to prescribe the drugs used in medication abortions by removing the requirement that they be dispensed inside a clinic or hospital. That opened the door for patients to consult with a certified doctor online or over the phone and get a prescription mailed by a licensed pharmacy.
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No matter how many providers get licensed in states that allow telemedicine and mail-order abortion prescriptions, they can’t provide those services in the growing number of states that don’t.
“We’re reaching a point where the states with favorable regulatory situations are already served,” said Elisa Wells, the co-founder and co-director of Plan C, which helps patients get medication abortions.
