In states with liberal laws, such as New York and California, a person can have a medical abortion at a fertility clinic, and in many such states it can also be done remotely, through telemedicine consultation.
In states that are trying to restrict abortion, finding a clinic is difficult, and some states even ban telemedicine abortions. If Roe exposed, doctors in some of these states commit a crime if they prescribe drugs.
But it is still possible to get them. One way is to arrange for a mailing address in a state where telemedicine abortion is legal. Another option is through Aid Access, where foreign doctors will prescribe medicines and have them delivered from a pharmacy in India by post. Because Aid Access has doctors who don’t work in the US, they’re not subject to state law (as long as they don’t go to those states). Through this solution, Aid Access says, it is still performing medical abortions remotely and sending the drugs to all 50 states.
A person can also order the medication directly from a pharmacy outside of the United States without a prescription and then self-administer the abortion.
An organization called OLD plan there is a search engine that will suggest the easiest way to get abortion pills in any state. It maintains a list of overseas pharmacies it considers legal, offering the pills starting at around $250. This route requires a credit card or another way to pay electronically.
Is ordering abortion pills from India sketchy?
Right. Pharmacy websites often look quite sophisticated, and according to the US FDA, importing drugs from outside is often illegal. However, the agency have a policy look the other way when drugs are used for personal purposes.
For now, there doesn’t seem to be much legal risk to individuals from ordering drugs online, although that could change in the future if states seek to make their possession a crime. .
