{"id":3567,"date":"2026-03-31T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/?p=3567"},"modified":"2025-12-09T16:40:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T22:40:37","slug":"the-supply-of-pill-packs-for-self-managed-abortion-increased-substantially-after-the-u-s-supreme-court-eliminated-the-constitutional-right-to-choose-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/2026\/03\/31\/the-supply-of-pill-packs-for-self-managed-abortion-increased-substantially-after-the-u-s-supreme-court-eliminated-the-constitutional-right-to-choose-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Supply of Pill Packs for Self-managed Abortion Increased Substantially After the U.S. Supreme Court Eliminated the Constitutional Right to Choose Abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reprinted from Texas Population Research Center <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Dobbs v Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em> decision in June 2022, the United States Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to choose an abortion. Several states, particularly in the south, immediately imposed total or near-total abortion bans or severely restricted abortion access. In the 6 months after the Dobbs<\/em> decision, an estimated 32,260 fewer abortions took place within the formal health care system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This brief reports on a recent study [1] that sought to answer two follow-up questions: over the same 6-month period (July-December 2022), (1) how many abortion pill packs did entities outside of the formal U.S. health care system supply to people in the U.S. over and above the baseline of what was being provided pre-Dobbs, and (2) how many people used the pill packs for a self-managed medication abortion? Self-managed medication abortion is defined as an individual taking pills \u2013 either mifepristone and misoprostol or misoprostol alone \u2013 to terminate a pregnancy outside of a clinic without the involvement of a U.S.-based healthcare provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior research found an increase in the demand<\/strong> for self-managed abortion in 2020 after short-term bans on abortion under COVID-19 restrictions and in 2021 after Texas implemented a ban on abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy. Researchers also found that requests for self-managed abortion increased sharply at the online telemedicine service Aid Access immediately after the Dobbs<\/em> decision, especially in states with abortion bans. But little was known about any changes in the supply<\/strong> of pill packs for self-managed abortion post-Dobbs<\/em>. This brief reports on a recent study [1] that filled this gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors gathered data from as many known suppliers of abortion medications outside of the U.S. formal health care system as possible and counted how many pill packs these entities provided for self-managed abortions during the 6 months post-Dobbs<\/em>. They then adjusted these raw counts in two ways. First, they subtracted the number of self-managed abortions from these totals that might have been expected if the Dobbs<\/em> decision had not been handed down. Second, they accounted for the fact that an estimated 3-14% of recipients of pill packs for self-managed abortion do not use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors identified 3 types of suppliers of abortion medications outside of the formal U.S. healthcare system for the period March to December 2022: (1) community networks, (2) telemedicine organizations, and (3) online vendors. Community networks<\/strong> typically involve a network of volunteers who source medications from outside of the U.S. They mail or hand deliver the pills to recipients and also provide information and support individually or through hotlines. These networks often do not charge for the service. Telemedicine organizations<\/strong> typically involve a physician located outside of the U.S.; recipients report relevant clinical information and donate up to $100 for the service; pill packs are mailed to the U.S. from an overseas pharmacy, and the organizations provide support through an online help desk. Online vendors<\/strong> sell abortion pill packs through a website for anywhere from $39 to $470 and generally do not provide information or support for their service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Findings<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n