In last week’s blog, I wrote about the rise in telehealth: accessing healthcare organizations remotely by using an electronic device. Since the Supreme Court decided, in 2022, that abortion was no longer part of the constitutional right to privacy, women are increasingly using telehealth to obtain “morning after” pills. That’s because abortion policy is now up to the states.
States, of course, responded to the Supreme Court’s decision
in different ways. As of June 30, 2025, 16 states have total or near-total
abortion bans, 11 of which criminalize the act of providing an abortion except
to save a patient’s life. Other states have enacted “interstate shield laws” that
protect clinicians within their borders as well as the abortion-seeking
patients. Women who live in states where abortion is banned can use telehealth
to get their “morning after” pills in states where it is not.
Because telehealth abortions are increasing, the power of
shield laws to protect clinicians from out-of-state prosecution is being
tested. In fact, both Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against New
York-based Maggie Carpenter—a telehealth abortion provider. New York’s shield
laws are protecting her. But it’s possible that if Carpenter were to travel to
Texas or Louisiana, she could be prosecuted.
Despite efforts to outlaw abortions, abortion rates have
increased since June 24, 2022. Telehealth accounted for 25 percent of abortions
as of December 2024—up from 4 percent before the Supreme Court’s decision. Nearly
all women who live in states that ban abortions are getting their mifepristone pills in states with the shield laws.
As noted in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, where I got this information, “…although abortion care is a fundamental aspect of
evidence-based reproductive medicine, the legal environment in the US after Dobbs
contains more risks in providing the standard of medical care.” For sure.
For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.
The “morning-after” pill is not an abortion pill. They are 2 different things.
ReplyDeleteJust makes me feel very pleased that people find a way around being controlled by someone else's knowledge of "what's is absolutely right for you."
ReplyDelete"This post explains the topic very clearly. I appreciate the way you highlighted both the practical and emotional aspects. Such blogs create awareness and give readers the confidence to make informed decisions."
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