Over half of U.S. abortions now done with pills, not surgery

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By LINDSEY TANNER

More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than surgery, an upward trend that spiked during the pandemic with the increase in telemedicine, a report released Thursday shows.

In 2020, pills accounted for 54% of all U.S. abortions, up from roughly 44% in 2019.

The preliminary numbers come from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. The group, by contacting providers, collects more comprehensive abortion data than the U.S. government.

Use of abortion pills has been rising since 2000 when the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone — the main drug used in medication abortions.



FILE = Containers of the medication used to end an early pregnancy sit on a table inside a Planned Parenthood clinic, Oct. 29, 2021, in Fairview Heights, Ill. A report released Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 says most U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than surgery. The trend spiked during the pandemic as telemedicine increased and pills by mail were allowed. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-science-health-medication-56972af9e9b0fc2fc97e06041f6e96ce

[question everything]

1. Hope they are effective

[Hekate]

7. They are

[truthisfreedom]

2. Which drives anti-choicers batshit crazy

There’s no place to disrupt health businesses or harass rape and incest victims if women get choice-by-mail.

[Auggie]

3. Good luck trying to stop Big Pharma too

[Lonestarblue]

4. Late last year, the FDA finally approved telehealth for abortions.

It had been successful during the worst of the pandemic, so they made it permanent but many states still have laws against it. Abortion via telemedicine is still illegal in 19 states. In 32 states, abortion medication must be administered only via physicians (as opposed to nurse practitioners or midwives). The Texas abortion law also made it illegal to mail abortion drugs within Texas.

What we need is a Congress willing to pass a law guaranteeing access for safe abortion, making abortion drugs available via telemedicine, and making birth control pills an over-the-counter medication. Unfortunately, we do not have such a Congress, so the women in this country will suffer, and some will die, to satisfy the religious beliefs of a minority who choose to make women’s reproductive choices for them, including the outlawing of all forms of birth control. Finally, men may well come under this control because they will also outlaw vasectomies so as to force more births.

[littlemissmartypants]

10. Are you sure BC pills aren't OTC?

I thought I just saw somewhere they are now available without a Rx.

[Lonestarblue]

11. I don't think so yet, though it's possible that some states are pushing for it.

The pill is as safe, and probably safer, than many OTC medications. There is no reason it should not be available in local drugstores. The religious right would have a fit, of course, but too bad. They don’t have to use them.

[OhZone]

5. As the Bible intended -

since the Bible actually has instructions on how do a chemical (herbal) abortion. ha

[ck4829]

6. And that's why they're going after pills now

[Rebl2]

8. Yep

[Claire Oh Nette]

9. They're going after more than pharmaceutical terminations.

THey're after all of it. They started to term Contraception "abortificiants" despite a glaring lack of understanding of female biology.

The Republican Party wants to control women's uteruses to force more white babies and keep more women out of the workforce. Twas ever thus.