{"id":221881,"date":"2020-04-15T14:40:58","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T19:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=221881"},"modified":"2022-04-21T07:06:41","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T12:06:41","slug":"planned-parenthood-national-telemedicine-includes-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/planned-parenthood-national-telemedicine-includes-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Planned Parenthood rolls out national telemedicine program that includes abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Planned Parenthood is once again using<\/a> the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> to expand abortion. This time, the largest abortion provider in the nation has announced its intention to expand telemedicine services nationwide, including abortion.<\/p>\n

Telemedicine generally allows physicians to communicate with patients remotely, which might work for some of Planned Parenthood’s shrinking health services. However, under a safety system put in place by the FDA called REMS\u00a0(Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy<\/a>), patients accessing telemedicine for abortion\u00a0would still be required to come into the facility in order to obtain the abortion pill while\u00a0the abortionist is remote.\u00a0Under REMS, the abortion pill regimen can only be dispensed in an approved clinic or hospital which has the ability to handle emergencies or direct the patient where she can get emergency help in case of potential serious complications including\u00a0infection or hemorrhage. Women have died from taking the abortion pill. In addition, as Live Action News previously<\/a> noted, Planned Parenthood’s own statistics show there is a 2-9% chance the abortion pill could fail, possibly requiring emergency care.<\/p>\n

\"Image:

Planned Parenthood offers telemedicine\/ telehealth including abortion<\/p><\/div>\n

According to Planned Parenthood’s former research arm<\/a>, the Guttmacher Institute<\/a>, telemedicine for abortion (in which the clinician is remote) is currently only approved in a limited number of states, which leaves many asking how Planned Parenthood will approach this effort nationwide. While the media is giving the impression that telemedicine abortion is a nationwide move, Planned Parenthood was careful to specify this will only include “some” locations,\u00a0writing<\/a> in part, “Some Planned Parenthood health centers also offer counseling and follow-up for abortions through telehealth.”<\/p>\n

According to a report published<\/a> by Yahoo News, “[T]he new telehealth app means that patients will also be able to access services including testing and treatment for sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), HIV testing and prevention, emergency contraception, hormone therapy, vasectomy counseling, abortion counseling, and…\u00a0prescriptions for abortion pills. <\/b>Doctors can prescribe the medications for an abortion through the app, but patients still have to visit a clinic because the Food and Drug Administration requires that providers distribute mifepristone, one of the drugs commonly used in medication abortions, in person….”<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Image:

Planned Parenthood telemedicine for abortion in Ohio (Image: Twitter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Planned Parenthood isn’t adding telehealth or telemedicine abortion simply because of COVID-19; the corporation has been gearing up to increase telemedicine abortion services for some time, because abortion is a significant source of the corporation’s revenue.<\/p>\n