With Co-Authors: Dana Northcraft and Emily Schacter
This is an excerpt of a recent report prepared by Manatt and RHITES (the Reproductive Health Initiative for Telehealth Equity & Solutions). Click here to read the full report and recommendations.
Abortion is a safe and an essential health care service. For over 20 years, medication has been used for abortion care safely during the first trimester through the use of two medications: mifepristone and misoprostol. Beginning in 2020, over 50% of abortions occurred using medication, which is increasingly the preferred abortion method by pregnant persons.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated the constitutional right to abortions. Many states immediately began to curtail individuals’ access to abortions, forcing pregnant persons into unsafe pregnancies or unwanted parenthood at the same time as access to high-quality maternal care has deteriorated. Restrictions on abortion access exacerbate the persistent inequities and access challenges across the nation that disproportionately continue to impact people of color. American Indian/Alaska Native and Black individuals continue to experience worse outcomes than white, Hispanic and Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander AANHPI women in the U.S., and states with abortion restrictions also have the worst maternal health outcomes.
Even within a highly constrained policy environment, there are practical opportunities to expand access to TMAB care that will improve equitable access to telehealth.
Click here to read the full report and recommendations.