How Webcams Expand Abortion Access in Rural Iowa

Planned Parenthood has come up with an innovative, high-tech solution to the lack of abortion access in rural Iowa. They've set up a system wherein doctors videoconference with their patients and abortion drugs can be prescribed via remote control. Considering that 86% of counties in the United States do not have an abortion provider, this latest use of telemedicine could impact thousands of women's lives.

Here's how it works: Women come into their local clinics and receive a pregnancy test. If the test is positive, an ultrasound is performed and the staff will counsel the patient on her options, including terminating the pregnancy. If the woman decides an abortion is best for her, then then the entire process is explained to her, including any potential side effects. Next, the patient watches an eight-minute video that goes over the process once more. If the woman still wants an abortion, she can set up a videoconference with a licensed physician in Des Moines. After reviewing the woman's medical records and speaking with her via webcam, the doctor can then dispense the abortion pills via remote control. This process can only be done in the first nine weeks of pregnancy.

Of course, more women having access to safe abortions early in their pregnancy has its critics. Operation Rescue, an ultra-conservative anti-choice group, is up in arms after it received an "anonymous tip" about the program (why they needed an anonymous tip about a program available to the public for two years is beyond me). Troy Newman, the group's president, thinks that it puts the patient's life at risk, though he offers nothing in the way of proof to support that claim. His group is also pretty giddy that the Planned Parenthood telemedicine program is under review by the Iowa State Board of Medicine, even though the Board says in investigates every single complaint it gets as a matter of procedure.

Telemedicine has been used for years in a variety of medical fields, including psychiatry and radiology. Yet, only when this technology is expanded to women's reproductive health are people crying foul. Personally, I applaud Planned Parenthood's efforts to make sure that all women, not just those in urban areas, have access to safe abortion care. The right to choose shouldn't be impeded by your proximity to a city (or anything else, for that matter). Every time we remove an obstacle in the way of a woman's ability to determine her own reproductive path, we all win.

Photo credit: PinkMoose