SPOKANE, Wash. — A new study published in the Journal of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists showed more women are ordering abortion pills through telehealth services, according to UW Medicine.
The study found that the demographic of women ordering the pills did not match those who normally face barriers in getting abortion care, according to lead author and researcher in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Anna Fiastro.
Between August 2021 and March 2023, the study found 72% of those who preordered abortion pills to use in the future were white, and 80% of those did not have children.
42% who ordered abortion pills after getting pregnant identified as white, younger in age, and more likely to have children.
Only 2.4% identified as Black, and only 5.3% identified as Hispanic, in terms of women ordering the abortion pill for future use.
For those already pregnant, 20% identified as Hispanic, 14% Black and 5% Asian.
Study authors said the biggest reason patients ordered abortion pills in advance of getting pregnant was personal choice and concern about future legal restrictions.
“What we were most interested in was who was using the advance provision option and how they differ from patients ordering abortion medications for a current pregnancy,” Fiastro added. “These findings shed light on how this option (advance provision) can possibly alleviate barriers in accessing reproductive healthcare due to state-level abortion restrictions and what more needs to be done so that this tool is available to those who may need it most.
“We also noticed huge spikes in people ordering pills when there were political moments, such as the overturning of Roe v Wade, or media covering abortion care or restrictions,” she said.
The study reviewed 3,252 patients who ordered the pill in advance of pregnancy; 23,317 pregnant patients under 13 weeks’ gestation received the abortion pill to end their pregnancies.
The study did not involve states that have already banned abortions.
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