A new research published on Wednesday in Nature Medicine provides more proof that abortion pills are safe to prescribe, even remotely, with the Supreme Court set to hear arguments in less than a month about access to the medicine mifepristone. A telehealth consultation was provided in 28% of instances through video conversations and in 72% of cases through text messaging before the patients got medication abortions, which are a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, through tablets given by mail. The records of almost 6,000 patients were examined.
New Research Supports Telemedicine Abortion Safety
More data has just been discovered by University of California, San Francisco researchers to support telemedicine abortion as a secure and reliable method of ending a pregnancy. A petition filed with the Supreme Court before the hearing cites the nationwide research that was published in Nature Medicine on Thursday. According to a news release, the study has the support of more than 300 reproductive health researchers.
Science backs FDA Decision on Mifepristone
Dr Ushma Upadhyay, a professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at UCSF and the lead author of the study, suggested that the findings have significant implications for policy, particularly regarding the impending Supreme Court case concerning Mifepristone, a medication used in medication abortion. According to Dr Upadhyay, the research indicates that the FDA’s decision to expand how Mifepristone could be dispensed was based on scientific evidence, and she believes that the Supreme Court should likewise adhere to scientific reasoning.
Telemedicine Abortion Safe and Effective
For the study, from April 2021 to January 2022, researchers examined the medical records of over 6,000 individuals who were administered abortion pills from telemedicine clinics in 20 states and Washington, D.C. They found that 98% of abortion patients did not need follow-up treatment, and that adverse effects were not documented in 99.8% of cases. The study authors observed that these results show comparable success rates to those of individuals who had abortions in person at clinics or doctor’s offices. A healthcare physician that performs telehealth abortions may do virtual follow-up visits, provide abortion pills by mail, and conduct video visits and secure text messaging with the patient.
Impact of Supreme Court’s Ruling On Abortion
21 states have outlawed abortion or placed more limits on it as a result of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling to reverse Roe v. Wade. Courts have rejected limits on abortion in three more states. Since abortion clinics have closed in jurisdictions where there are bans and other limitations, there has been a surge in demand for abortion drugs administered through telemedicine. Week-long wait times and even no availability are common at clinics in states where abortion is legal.
The abortion drug mifepristone may become far more difficult to get if the Supreme Court chooses to outlaw it. A prohibition on mifepristone would prevent mail-order shipments of the drug and telemedicine prescriptions, adding more obstacles to places where persons trying to terminate pregnancies already face significant challenges.
Abortion Access Barriers and Health Risks
Professor Sarah W. Prager of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology expressed worry that the Supreme Court would ignore a plethora of reliable scientific information if it reinstated more limits on Mifepristone. Furthermore, Pager cautioned that this decision would increase barriers to getting an abortion, which would raise the risk of disease and death for expectant mothers. Misoprostol alone can safely end a pregnancy, but specialists warn that it might not be as successful as misoprostol with mifepristone.
A significant nationwide research has shown the safety and efficacy of self-managed abortion via telemedicine, while the Supreme Court considers whether to outlaw the abortion drug mifepristone and restrict access to telehealth abortion. Prescription abortion pills can be mailed, encrypted text messaging, and video visits can all be used to properly provide medication abortion by telemedicine. The latest study expands on a large corpus of data that shows self-managed medication abortion is safe.
