In states with liberal laws, such as New York and California, a person can obtain a medical abortion at a reproductive clinic, and in many of those states it’s also possible to do everything remotely, via a telemedicine consultation.
In states trying to restrict abortion, it’s become hard to find a clinic, and some have also forbidden telemedicine abortion. If Roe is overturned, doctors in these some of these states will be committing a crime if they prescribe pills.
But it’s 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, which has overseas doctors who will prescribe the pills and mail them from a pharmacy in India. Because Aid Access has doctors who don’t work in the US, they aren’t subject to state laws (so long as they don’t travel to those states). Through this workaround, Aid Access says, it is still doing telemedicine abortion and sending pills to all 50 states.
A person can also order pills directly from a pharmacy outside the US without a prescription and then self-manage the abortion.
An organization called Plan C has a search engine that will suggest the easiest way to get abortion pills based on what state a person lives in. It maintains a list of overseas pharmacies it thinks are legitimate, which deliver the pills for prices starting around $250. This route requires a credit card or another way to pay electronically.
Is it sketchy to order abortion pills from India?
Yes. The pharmacy websites often look pretty dodgy, and according to the US FDA, importing pills from outside the country is usually illegal. However, the agency has a policy of looking the other way when the drugs are for personal use.
Right now, there doesn’t seem to be much legal risk to individuals from ordering pills online, although that could change in the future if states seek to make possession of them a crime.