As we mark one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, new research from University of California San Francisco’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) shows how abortion clinics have responded to the decision and updated the provision of care.
The research, which was conducted with data from ANSIRH’s Abortion Facility Database, shows two major findings: 1) abortion clinics across the country are offering care later in pregnancy and 2) more and more clinics are offering telehealth for medication abortion which involves mailing medication to a patient’s home. Abortion clinics are continuing to meet the evolving needs of their patients despite the troubling landscape where 14 states have now banned abortion care altogether.
“In the face of growing bans on abortion care, abortion providers are stepping up to fill the gaps in access nationwide,” said Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, lead researcher and professor at ANSIRH. “The research shows that while abortion providers have responded to meet patients’ needs by expanding telehealth for medication abortion and providing care later in pregnancy, abortion bans have created an untenable situation that health care providers are now left to manage.”
“Trends in Abortion Facility Gestational Limits Pre- and Post-Dobbs,” led by Nancy Berglas, DrPh, shows that clinics are extending the gestational limits for medication and procedural abortion, offering care later in pregnancy, suggesting that clinics are working to meet the needs of those delayed in accessing abortion care due to cost, travel and other logistical barriers.
Findings from “Availability of Telehealth Services for Medication Abortion in the U.S., 2020-2022,” led by Shelly Kaller, MPH, show that brick and mortar facilities have expanded their services to include telehealth for medication abortion and new virtual clinics are also providing care via telehealth in more states. The findings underscore just how devastating a negative decision in the legal battle on the availability of mifepristone would be to abortion care.
The findings from both briefs point to the toll the Supreme Court’s decision and subsequent statewide abortion bans are having on patients and providers. Click here to download our press release.