In this system, the woman receives an ultrasound performed by on-site providers. She then undergoes a consultation with a physician in Des Moines or Iowa City who communicates with patients and views sonograms through a closed circuit video. If the physician determines the woman is eligible for an early-term abortion, the physician enters a command in the computer that opens a drawer in front of the patient containing abortion-inducing pills. The woman takes one pill in front of the physician and takes the rest home, according to the report. The Iowa Board of Medicine banned the telemedicine abortion system because of concerns that the patients were taking medication without a physician being present.
While the board approved the ban for safety concerns, Planed Parenthood is also citing safety concerns as a reason to strike down the ban, especially for low-income women and women who would otherwise need to travel to see a physician.
“Evidence was presented that this distance would not only be a general hardship for women, but would actually increase the medical risk they face by delaying their abortions, pushing them into the second trimester when medication abortion is not an option and when the risks of surgical abortion are higher,” said Alice Clapman, attorney for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, in the report.
The system is used at seven clinics in Iowa, and more than 5,000 women have used the system since 2008, according to the report.
The case echoes concerns of the Federation of State Medical Boards which suggests telemedicine consultations should be a supplement of, instead of a replacement for, in-person consultations.
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