March 20, 2020

Abortion Advocates Push for Lifted Abortion Restrictions During Coronavirus Pandemic

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The abortion industry is fighting for increased access to abortion through telemedicine by arguing that the FDA should lift its Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS) safety requirements for abortion pills.

Under REMS, abortion pills can only be distributed by qualified clinicians at approved hospitals and clinics. If the restrictions were lifted, non-doctors would be able to sell abortion pills online directly to consumers or ship them to pharmacies.

Self-managed abortions using the abortion pill regimen can be risky since no medical professional is present to intervene if complications arise, which isn't uncommon. In 8% of self-managed abortion cases documented by a TelAbortion study, women sought follow-up care at a medical facility. That number is probably smaller than what would occur in an uncontrolled environment as well since not all women would have the advice of a trained study clinician vetted by an organization trying to prove that telemedical abortion is safe.