NYC’s Innovative Telehealth Now Offering Abortion Pills
TL/DR –
Women in New York City can now access abortion telehealth services and have abortion pills delivered to their doors through the city’s public hospitals network. The new policy, announced by Mayor Adams, allows women to schedule appointments with health care providers through the city’s Health + Hospitals Virtual ExpressCare system, receive an assessment and counseling, and then receive medication to induce an abortion if deemed appropriate by medical professionals. The policy was implemented in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and requires patients to attest to being located in New York City at the time of the telehealth call and when they take the medication.
Abortion Telehealth Services Available in New York City
New York City now offers abortion telehealth services, including delivery of abortion pills, through its public hospitals network. The city’s Mayor Adams announced the new policy as a response to last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
“Access to safe, legal abortion care is a public health cornerstone, and New York City will always guarantee it,” Mayor Adams emphasized, countering the far-right’s attempts to strip citizens of their basic rights.
The new services, launched via the city’s Health + Hospitals Virtual ExpressCare system, include assessment, counseling, and abortion-inducing medication delivery, if medically appropriate. However, patients must confirm their presence in the city during the telehealth call and medication intake.
Since the Roe v. Wade overturn, conservative states began curtailing abortion access, with some like Alabama, threatening to prosecute those aiding in out-of-state abortions. New York chose to further secure local abortion rights, establishing an Abortion Access Hub and legislating access to safe and affordable abortions within the city.
As the Supreme Court prepares to hear new cases on abortion rights, NYC expects out-of-state women to utilize the new policy, despite potential legal ramifications. Dr. Marisa Nádas, associate medical director of H+H’s Virtual ExpressCare program, confirmed they’ll assist callers from outside the city, however, they can’t prescribe telehealth abortion medication.
Dr. Nádas assured, “We’ll help them access the abortion care they need, as people across the country travel to get such care.”
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