Bernie Sanders Calls for Expanded Abortion through Telemedicine During COVID-19 Pandemic

Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders
Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders called out several state governments for closing abortion clinics to save personal protective equipment like surgical masks for hospitals treating patients with COVID-19. His comment shows a lack of understanding about the current crisis and suggests that he values the political gain associated with touting abortion access over the safety of Americans.

"It is outrageous that right-wing politicians in states like Texas and Ohio are using this crisis to risk women's health and safety by denying their right to abortion and other reproductive health care," Sanders wrote on Twitter. "Instead, we should be expanding access with things like telemedicine."

It is outrageous that right-wing politicians in states like Texas and Ohio are using this crisis to risk women's health and safety by denying their right to abortion and other reproductive health care. Instead, we should be expanding access with things like telemedicine.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 24, 2020

These states are not targeting abortion clinics specifically. Abortion clinics use important personal protective equipment like surgical masks when they complete surgical abortions; elective procedures that are not essential to the health and survival of a patient. The same states are also prohibiting other health care providers like dentists from performing non-essential surgical procedures during this time. In reality, states that inconsistently apply this rule to create an exception for abortion clinics are only putting additional strain on important equipment and putting all Americans at risk, not just the unborn or their mothers.

Access to abortion via telemedicine is currently prohibited by the FDA through its risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS). When women attempt to complete at-home abortions by using abortion pills without the presence or consultation of a doctor, complications can occur which can lead to injury or death, especially if the woman has not had an ultrasound to diagnose conditions such as an ectopic pregnancy.

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