The growing importance of self-managed and telemedicine abortion in the United States: Medically safe, but legal risk remains

Excessive regulation under state law has made it increasingly difficult for Americans to get a legal abortion. State lawmakers passed more than 100 restrictions on abortion in 2021, more than any previous year. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court shifted rightward with the appointment of three justices during the Trump administration, threatening constitutional protection for abortion and setting a course for state-level abortion bans. In light of these developments and new research, we revisit the ground-breaking research article “Demand for Self-Managed Medication Abortion Through an Online Telemedicine Service in the United States" by Aiken et al. and comment on its significance and implications since publication.