COVID-19's Effects Extend to Abortion Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated access to abortion care, which was already limited in many U.S. communities. To evaluate whether the pandemic has increased efforts to self-manage abortion, researchers analyzed data from Aid Access, the only Web-based provider of abortion care for U.S. women.

A comparison before and after each state required social distancing showed a 27% increase overall in requests for medications to self-manage abortion. Eleven states experienced significant increases, including Ohio (22%), Tennessee (24%), Oklahoma (26%), Illinois (28%), New Jersey (29%), California (29%), Washington (35%), Louisiana (58%), New York (60%), Massachusetts (65%), and Texas (94%).