Women Are Now Able to Get Abortions Via Telemedicine. Here's Everything to Know.

Rose Minutaglio
·4-min read
Photo credit: MirageC
Photo credit: MirageC

For Nicole, taking the abortion pill was like getting through "an extremely painful poop." It hurt, a lot, and then it was done. She was bartending at the time, light years away from thinking about motherhood, and decided on medication abortion. At $585, it was cheaper than a surgical abortion. Plus, Nicole wanted do it in the privacy of her own home. Two pills, four days, and several pairs of bloody underwear later ("it was basically like an extra heavy period for a week," she says), she went back to work at the bar.

Medication abortion or the "abortion pill" is a legal way to end a pregnancy—one that women like Nicole increasingly prefer over surgical abortion for a variety of reasons. It now accounts for more than one-third of all clinic abortions in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

In a landmark decision from the FDA, women seeking the abortion pill will no longer be required to visit a doctor's office or a clinic during the pandemic. This means that women can now have an abortion without having to leave home.

With reproductive rights under attack in this country, the idea of an abortion pill taken on your own terms and in the safety of your own home is increasingly appealing. Since 2011, medication abortions have risen in popularity by nearly 25 percent. The process, however, is shrouded in mystery and misinformation. Here's everything you need to know.

What is the abortion pill?

Also called a "medication abortion," the abortion pill is a way to stop the progress of a pregnancy and then help the body expel it. It involves taking two separate pills in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The first is mifepristone, which blocks progesterone and prevents the pregnancy from proceeding. The second is misoprostol, which ends the pregnancy. Planned Parenthood describes it "like having a really heavy, cramp-y period, and the process is very similar to an early miscarriage." You should take misoprostol 24 to 48 hours after taking misoprostol, and Planned Parenthood suggests calling a nurse or doctor if you don't experience bleeding after a day.

It is not the “morning after” pill.

They are two very different things. The morning after pill helps prevent pregnancy and the abortion pill helps ends pregnancy.

Is it safe?

As with any medical procedure, there is some risk associated with medication abortion. Those can include blood clots, excessive bleeding, and infection. A full list of possible complications can be found here.

Photo credit: MirageC
Photo credit: MirageC

How effective is the abortion pill?

Very, and Planned Parenthood has the stats to back that up:




Where can you get it?

Prior to the pandemic, the most common way to get the abortion pill was at a health center or through a clinician providing abortion care. Now that the FDA is allowing women to receive telehealth abortions, at least for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, women can receive the abortion pill by mail.

Planned Parenthood has more information on where to do that here. The National Abortion Federation also has a list of clinics searchable by state.

Is it safe to buy the abortion pill online?

In short, yes. Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock wrote in a letter to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine that overall findings from studies conducted during the pandemic "do not appear to show increases in serious safety concerns (such as hemorrhage, ectopic pregnancy, or surgical interventions) occurring with medical abortion as a result of modifying the in-person dispensing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Can you get in trouble for buying it online?

If you've been prescribed the abortion pill by a doctor (either in person or via telemedicine), you're in the clear. However, according to Plan C, an organization established to provide women more information about medication abortion, if you purchase the pill on your own (without a prescription or without the supervision of a healthcare professional) the legal risk is unclear. Check out their guide "Can I get in trouble?" here.

What does the future look like for the abortion pill?

Telemedicine abortion has gained new momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, with health care advocates "expanding its geographical reach and streamlining protocols, so as to minimize in-person clinic visits," as we previously noted.

Some experts even believe the pandemic can be a catalyst for major change in the world of telehealth. "If we learn through research that there are simplified ways to provide services that are still equally effective and acceptable to the patient, then that’s how the medical process changes,” Melissa Grant, chief operations officer of Carafem, a network of reproductive health clinics that offers telemedicine abortions, told ELLE.com.

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