Pills-by-post scheme fuels rise in US abortions

The pills-by-post scheme is driving a rise in the number of US abortions, new data suggests.

#WeCount, a pro-abortion ‘Society of Family Planning’ venture, attributed increasing national totals to a growth in ‘telehealth abortions’ – up from 4 per cent of all abortions in April 2022 to 20 per cent in March 2024.

According to #WeCount, the national monthly abortion volume was higher in the first quarter of this year than at any other time since Roe v Wade in June 2022.

Increase

A press release from the organisation in August stated: “For the first time since #WeCount began, the national monthly total of abortions exceeded 100,000 in January of 2024.”

It said: “From January to March 2024, there were about 19,700 telehealth abortions per month”.

#WeCount noted that DIY abortions through the pills by post scheme continued to increase, “with telehealth making up a larger proportion of the abortion care landscape than ever before”.

In January to March 2024, it said, there was “an average of over 6,700 monthly telehealth abortions” legally provided by out-of-state abortion clinics to people living in states with total abortion bans or 6-week bans.

Decrease

#WeCount estimated that 208,040 fewer abortions had taken place in those states where near total bans had been in place for the majority of the time since Roe v Wade was overturned.

It reported: “States with the greatest cumulative declines in abortion volume over 21 months include Texas (64,710), Georgia (39,245), Tennessee (24,775), Louisiana (16,175), and Alabama (13,335).”

In May, judges in Texas rejected an attempt by the pro-abortion Centre for Reproductive Rights to liberalise the state’s pro-life laws.