Washington D.C., Sep 5, 2019 / 23:04 pm
After several months of new pro-life legislation aimed at restricting abortion or defunding Planned Parenthood, the organization's national branch has announced the expansion of its telemedicine program to all 50 states by next year.
The Planned Parenthood Direct app, through which users can request birth control delivery, UTI treatment prescriptions, and appointments at Planned Parenthood, is currently available in 27 states.
According to its website, Planned Parenthood has also used telemedicine to prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs used in medical abortions. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 18 states require that a licensed physician be physically present during medical abortions, effectively banning abortions prescribed via telemedicine.
"As politicians across the country try to restrict or block access to critical reproductive and sexual health care, the Planned Parenthood Direct app is just one part of the work we do to ensure that more people can get the care they need, no matter where they are," Planned Parenthood CEO and acting president Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement released Wednesday.