Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein
Medication abortions via telehealth now account for up to 16 percent of abortions nationwide, according to a new report published ahead of a Supreme Court decision that could make the procedure much more difficult to access.
Under current FDA policy, doctors can remotely prescribe a two-pill regimen to abortion patients early in their pregnancies and ship the medication by mail. A report out Tuesday from the Society of Family Planning found these prescriptions accounted for 13,770 abortions in September, or 16 percent of the national total.
The report also tabulated 14,110 telehealth abortions in July, the first month the researchers started delineating abortions provided by telehealth, and 14,060 in August. The number of total abortions in that time period ranged from 81,000 to nearly 89,000 per month—fewer than in previous reports, but more than in the time period before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.