Demand for Self-Managed Medication Abortion Through an Online Telemedicine Service in the United States
Published in: American Journal of Public Health
January 2020
This study analyzes the demand for self-managed medication abortion through online telemedicine in the United States.
Key findings:
👆 Between October 15, 2017 to August 15, 2018, Women on Web received 6022 requests for medication abortion. Requests came from all 50 states, but 76% requests came from states with restrictive abortion regulations. The highest rate of requests came from Mississippi (24.9 per 100,000 women of reproductive age), followed by Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.
🌍 States that implement legal barriers to clinic access, such as waiting periods, and the cost of in-clinic abortion made it harder for some people to access care in the clinic setting, and so they look online abortion services.
💊 In both hostile and supportive states, a majority (60%) reported a combination of barriers to accessing clinical care and preferences for self-management. Cost was the most common barrier and privacy was the most important preference for looking for online services.
This research illuminated that restrictive State-level policies were worsening barriers and negatively impacting access to clinical care, even perhaps contributing to a decline in clinical abortions. The research demonstrated that even in supportive States where policies were less restrictive, residents were still citing barriers in accessing clinical care. Lastly, it was noted that self-managed abortion was a preferential method, beyond merely addressing a lack of clinical access.
The responses of public health professionals, clinicians, and policymakers will be vital to ensuring that their experiences are as safe, effective, and supported as possible
Collaboration with: LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA; Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA; Faculty of Science, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Sociology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA; College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA.
