Telehealth abortion service expands across the US to allow people to have safe abortions at home

A telehealth medical abortion service expands its offering in nine more states to allow people to complete safe abortions at home.

Wisp first launched abortion care in August in California and has now launched its telehealth services in Connecticut, New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, New York and Washington. 

The sexual and reproductive health provider has became now the largest, most accessible medical abortion provider in the US.

The company offers abortion pills via telehealth because of new rules introduced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the pandemic.

Prior to that, people had to see providers in person in order to get mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in a medical abortion.

However, the agency relaxed the rules early in the pandemic and lifted them last year.

With a shipping time of one to two business days, the telehealth provider offers services estimated to be 30 per cent less expensive than the national average cost of medical abortion. The treatment consists of oral medication to terminate a pregnancy.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, some states have banned telehealth services for abortions.

Services like Wisp help expand abortion access in places where the medical procedure is already legal.

“In the wake of the overturn of Roe v Wade, inequities in access to care have only deepened,” said Ahmad Bani, CEO of the company.

“By providing the most accessible abortion services in more states than ever, we’re able to help alleviate a stressed healthcare system and allow patients to take ownership of their reproductive health with privacy and respect.”

The new launch expands Wisp’s suite of specialised services for sexual and reproductive health, from emergency contraception and birth control to bacterial vaginosis and herpes.