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Aug. 12, 2024 |  By: Kelcie Moseley-Morris - Missouri Independent

Telehealth abortion still on the rise, especially in states with shield laws, report shows

telehealth

By Kelcie Moseley-Morris - Missouri Independent

Both the overall number of abortions and the use of telehealth abortion care continue to increase in the United States, according to the latest #WeCount report.

Telehealth made up 20% of all abortion care in the first three months of 2024, and the monthly total of abortions exceeded 100,000 for the first time since the group began tracking abortion data in 2022.

#WeCount is a collaborative group of researchers who collect national abortion data from clinics every month and is a project of the Society of Family Planning, a membership organization focused on abortion and contraception science. Alison Norris, co-chair of the group, said the data captures about 80% of abortion clinics nationwide. Using that data, the group makes estimates to account for clinics that do not provide reports.

From January to March 2024, there were about 19,700 telehealth abortions per month, according to the report, released Wednesday. The states with the biggest jumps in the average number of abortions per month compared with the first three months of 2023 include New York, California, Virginia, Kansas and Pennsylvania. Kansas saw 59% more telehealth abortions and 29% more in-person abortions each month.

Norris said the use of telehealth has continued to grow, particularly now that five states — New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Vermont and Colorado — specifically shield those who provide telehealth abortions from legal ramifications if they work with patients from states with abortion restrictions. Maine will become the sixth state when its shield law takes effect on Friday. Fourteen states in the U.S. have a near-total ban on abortion.

“There was already a move toward telehealth (during the COVID pandemic), but I think it was accelerated by the need,” Norris said.

Telehealth abortions provided by clinicians in states with shield laws averaged 9,200 per month from January to March 2024, according to the report. That’s an increase of about 1,200 per month from the last report that showed data from October to December 2023.

In the nine months from July 2023 to March 2024, over 65,000 people in states with near-total or six-week bans and states with telehealth restrictions have accessed medication abortion provided under shield laws.

But the vast majority of abortions still take place in person, Norris said, in part because medication abortion can only be prescribed via telehealth through 10 weeks’ gestation, and because some people just prefer to be seen in person.

The overall number of abortions per month has grown as well, with a high of 102,350 in January. The average over the first three months of 2024 was 98,990 — the highest monthly number during the last quarter of 2023 was 91,470.

Norris said the data shows the number of abortions began to rise nationally in 2017, and while it’s hard to pinpoint the cause, there are new factors that could be contributing. Some people who needed an abortion before the Dobbs decision in 2022 could get them once states passed legislation to remove barriers. And for those who faced financial issues obtaining an abortion, she said, there is more awareness of abortion funds and other sources of support.

“There’s a lot more information in the ecosystem, there’s better resources on the internet, and there’s potentially been a destigmatization of abortion, given how much it’s in the media and being talked about by politicians,” Norris said.

Although she views it as a positive that many people who live in states with near-total bans or six-week bans are able to access abortion via telehealth, she said it’s still an unfair situation.

“Those bans and those restrictions are not evidence-based in terms of public health science,” Norris said, “and the fact that thousands and thousands of people don’t have access to ordinary and safe health care that’s time-sensitive just because of the state where they live, it is an injustice that I hope people keep their eyes on.”