As an OB-GYN, I know that allowing women to access abortion drugs through telemedicine is the wrong move
Christina Francis, Contributor
Getting an ultrasound for the first time is a powerful moment. As an OB-GYN, I’m there when parents see their child’s silhouette and tiny hands. The humanity of the preborn child is palpable.
So too are the varied emotions of the expectant parent — the elation from the womanwho has strived so long to have a child or relief from those who might have previouslysuffered a pregnancy loss. But I also witness the trepidation from mothers who areunsure how they might care for their child.
Providing crucial information to a woman considering abortion, ultrasounds aresometimes the difference between life and death for a preborn child. Ultrasounds arethe best way to determine the gestational age of the preborn child and can only becarried out in-person — not through telemedicine visits free of in-person consultation.
Knowing this, in April the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted a requirementfor women to have in-person visits with their doctors before receiving medicationabortions. This may seem like an innocuous policy tweak that adds needed efficiencyto women’s health services. However, by removing this requirement, a woman considering abortion is now even less likely to see her baby’s image before making adecision that has enormous consequences for both her and her child.
But the concerns don’t stop there.