Telemedicine abortion is as safe, effective as in-person care, US study
finds
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[February 16, 2024]
LONDON (Reuters) - Abortion pills sent to pregnant women after
video call or text message consultations are as safe and effective as
in-person care, according to a large study from the United States, where
access to abortion has been markedly curtailed in recent years.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022 to eliminate the
nationwide right to abortion, at least 14 U.S. states have put in place
outright abortion bans while many others prohibit abortion after a
certain duration of pregnancy.
A ruling on access to the pill is also pending this year, with abortion
rights more broadly a key issue in the upcoming presidential election.
The new study, published in Nature Medicine on Thursday, adds to decades
of evidence from around the world that telemedicine abortions are safe
and effective.
The team led by Ushma Upadhyay at the University of California used data
on 6,034 abortions provided by three virtual clinics operating in 20
states and Washington D.C. between April 2021 and January 2022.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration dropped its “in-person” dispensing
requirement for the first drug in medical abortion, mifepristone, in
2021, although the decision is part of what is now being challenged in
the Supreme Court.
The study found that 97.7% of abortions were complete after the initial
treatment, and 99.8% were not followed by any serious adverse event.
Both were comparable figures to data on medical abortions provided at
in-person clinics in early pregnancy.
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![](../images/021624PIX/health26.jpg)
Boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, are
seen at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April
20, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Feb/16/images/ads/current/debbiesfloral_lda_021424.png) It also found no difference in
safety or effectiveness when patients were screened either by video
call or text message.
Telemedicine abortion using mifepristone and another drug taken at
the same time, misoprostol, has become “critical to addressing
surges in demand in states where abortion remains legal”, the paper
says.
“Policies that restrict telehealth abortion owing to concerns or
claims about effectiveness or safety need to be revisited and
revised to ensure equitable access to this essential healthcare
service,” it adds.
The World Health Organization also recommends the method in early
pregnancy.
(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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