A study published Monday in the medical journal JAMA found that in the six months after the state's abortion rights were overturned, the number of abortions using pills obtained outside the formal health care system skyrocketed. . A separate report released last week by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, found that of all abortions currently provided by the country's formal health care system, including clinics and telemedicine abortion services, Medication abortions were found to account for almost two-thirds of the cases.
The JAMA study evaluated data from a network of overseas telemedicine agencies, online vendors, and community volunteers who typically obtain the pills from outside the United States. Before Roe was overturned, these methods provided abortion pills to about 1,400 women a month, but the average jumped to 5,900 a month in the six months since, the study reported.
Overall, the study found that the number of abortions in the formal health system fell by about 32,000 from July to December 2022, but much of that decline was due to sources outside the formal health system. It was found that this was offset by approximately 26,000 abortions caused by the pill.
“We're seeing in the United States what we're seeing in other parts of the world. When anti-abortion laws go into effect, people's focus is often outside of formal medical settings and providing care. This means that the site will be relocated,” Dr. Abigail said. Aiken is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin and lead author of the JAMA study.
The co-author was a university statistics professor. Founder of Aid Access, a Europe-based organization that pioneered telemedicine abortion in the United States. He is also the leader of Plan C, an organization that provides information to consumers about medical abortion. Before publication, this study underwent a rigorous peer review process required by major medical journals.
The telemedicine institutions that participated in the study used written questionnaires to evaluate prospective patients, issued prescriptions from doctors typically located in Europe, and shipped the drugs, which typically cost about $100, from pharmacies in India. I received it. Community networks typically asked for information about pregnancy and often delivered or mailed pills free of charge with detailed instructions.
The online sellers, who provided a small portion of the pills in the study and charged fees ranging from $39 to $470, generally did not ask about the women's medical histories and shipped the pills without the most detailed instructions. Dr. Aiken said the vendors in the study were vetted by Plan C and found to be offering genuine abortion pills.
The Guttmacher report focuses on the formal health care system, and clinics and telemedicine clinics in the United States that provided abortions to patients who resided in or traveled to states where abortion is legal between January and December 2023. Contains data from abortion services.
The pill accounted for 63% of abortions, up from 53% in 2020, according to the report. The total number of abortions recorded in the report exceeded 1 million for the first time in more than a decade.
why is this important
Overall, the new report suggests how rapidly abortion provision adjusted, with 14 post-Roe states banning abortion and others imposing strict restrictions.
This figure may be an underestimate and does not reflect recent changes. Six states have enacted protection laws that allow tens of thousands of women in states where abortion is prohibited to have their medication prescribed or mailed to abortion providers without having to travel. Aid Access, for example, has stopped shipping medicines from overseas or operating outside the formal healthcare system since last summer. Instead, they are mailing the pills to states where importing them from within the United States is prohibited under the Shield Act.
what's next
In the case, to be heard before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, anti-abortion plaintiffs are suing the Food and Drug Administration to block or significantly limit access to mifepristone, the first pill in a two-drug abortion pill. I'm asking you to. regimen.
The JAMA study suggests that such a ruling could lead more women to seek treatment outside the formal U.S. health care system, such as pills from other countries.
“There are so many unknowns about what will happen with this decision,” Dr. Aiken said.
He added: “If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could have a knock-on effect as more people seek access outside of formal health care settings, fearing a loss of access.” It's sexual,” he added. Or medicines are becoming more difficult to obtain. ”