MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
After next Monday, doctors might not be able to prescribe the abortion pill mifepristone via telehealth. That depends on what the U.S. Supreme Court decides then. But doctors and experts say it won't stop people from being able to get abortion pills through the mail. Here's reporter Abby Wendle.
ABBY WENDLE, BYLINE: Medication abortion in the U.S. typically involves two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol. But as doctors face the possibility of no longer being able to prescribe mifepristone via telehealth, many are preparing to pivot.
ANGEL FOSTER: If we have to, we will switch to a misoprostol-only regimen.
WENDLE: Dr. Angel Foster is the co-founder of the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project. The organization is a shield law provider, meaning they mail abortion medication to patients around the country regardless of state laws restricting abortion. Decades of research shows taking misoprostol alone is a safe and effective option to end early pregnancy, though the experience may be more uncomfortable. Foster says it's not her preferred regimen, but it's a crucial alternative.
FOSTER: You know, I feel like I can hold two things at the same time. The first is that this decision is terrible, and we should be able to provide mifepristone and misoprostol via telemedicine. All of the evidence supports that. And I'm incredibly grateful that we have a high-quality alternative in misoprostol alone that we can pivot to to continue to provide patient care.
WENDLE: Other doctors we spoke with are also prepared to pivot to misoprostol only. Planned Parenthood Direct posted a similar sentiment on Instagram Friday. If mifepristone becomes unavailable via telehealth, people will still be able to get it by going to a doctor in person, or they can order abortion pills online without a prescription - in many cases, both mifepristone and misoprostol.
ELISA WELLS: There's an enormous network of people who are making access possible even now, despite these political restrictions that are happening.
WENDLE: Elisa Wells is a public health researcher and co-founder of Plan C Pills. Their website links people to a variety of places people can order abortion pills online, including pharmacies abroad that sell the pills and U.S.-based groups that mail free pills to people living in states with abortion restrictions. Plan C periodically tests the pills from all these sources to make sure they're real. The website's traffic doubled this past Saturday, following the appeals court's decision about mifepristone. That may indicate more people are looking for options on how to get pills outside of the formal medical system.
WELLS: In some ways, it's the best advertisement for this alternative way of accessing pills.
WENDLE: Getting abortion pills without a doctor's oversight isn't new. For decades, a global network has developed to help people access the pills this way. And since the latest upheaval over mifepristone, the network in the U.S. has been abuzz.
DESTINI SPAETH: The feelings within the network were definitely, like, a little bit of panic, but also, we have been and will continue to prepare for these moments.
WENDLE: Destini Spaeth is an abortion access advocate in North Dakota. Over the past few days, she says she's been in about a dozen group chats that at first were filled with people depressed and angry, then they switched into a different gear - strategizing.
SPAETH: When a decision like this comes down, we just rely on that network of rapid response, quick communication, and then dispersing that communication within our communities so that folks don't feel as lost and confused and as alone as some of these decisions are intended to make us feel.
WENDLE: Spaeth is currently focused on sharing resources about something called advanced provision, a way for people to access these pills to have them just in case they need them in an uncertain future.
KELLY: That is reporting from Abby Wendle. To hear more about the network helping people around the world access safe abortions without a doctor, check out The Network from the NPR podcast Embedded.
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