After US abortion rights were curtailed, more women turned to online pharmacies

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-10-05 01:00

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US scientists say online prescriptions for direct-to-patient abortion drugs increased in the year after the US Supreme Court overturned the Federal right to abortion, compared with the year before. Spikes in prescriptions followed an early leak of the court's likely decision and the decision itself, they say. In March 2022, before the decision, the researchers found there were an average of 88.5 prescriptions per day, which jumped to 201.5 per day in March 2023 following the decision. Most medication was prescribed by prescribers on online platforms with no physical clinic attached, and sent to states with supportive abortion policies, the authors add. The findings highlight the importance of online pharmacies in providing abortion care in the post-Roe v Wade era, the experts say, adding that any barriers to online pharmacy access for abortion care should be removed.

Media release

From: JAMA

The Role of Online Pharmacies and Telehealth in Medication Abortion Access Post–Dobbs v Jackson Decision

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that online pharmacies play an increasingly critical role in direct-to-patient medication abortion provision, especially with virtual-only platforms. These findings suggest that barriers to accessing online pharmacies for abortion care should be removed.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Ibis Reproductive Health, USA

Funder: This study was funded by the Avis and Clifford Barrus Medical Foundation.

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