jane_webb t1_ir2yfa6 wrote on October 4, 2022 at 11:05 PM

Reply to comment by MSWMan in Arizona clinic has workaround for abortion pill ban by Thetimmybaby

Kind of -- abortion pills by mail are actually very safe and relatively straightforward to access (though knowledge and $$$ can be barriers.) The last one is the biggest concern imo. Plan C Pills is a great resource on this!

MSWMan t1_ir3a1p6 wrote on October 5, 2022 at 12:34 AM

I take your point for the pharmaceuticals, although access to proper medical procedures and care (especially emergency care) will be inaccessible without interstate travel or less safe, illegal local procedures. I think where this analogy breaks down is that these pharmaceuticals are federally legal, so they can be legally shipped interstate.

But this does remind me of another (coincidentally drug-related) case from a few years ago involving a friend of mine. He tried to order psychedelic mushroom spores, but he was living in one of three states where possession of those spores was illegal. None of the online retailers would ship to him, so he had to travel to a neighboring state and set up a PO Box just to get them shipped. This makes me think that you'll see similar restrictions trying to order plan c in these backwards states. Also, plan c requires a doctor's prescription. I imagine soon it'll be a crime for doctors to prescribe it.

jane_webb t1_ir3gh3n wrote on October 5, 2022 at 1:24 AM

The Plan C site gets into a lot of this -- it's generally already a crime for doctors in restricted states to prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol (the two drugs needed for medication abortion) for most elective abortions. Folks have reported having success with something similar to what your friend did, but for abortion pills -- using a legal U.S. telemedicine service and picking up in another state. I'm would guess there will be attempts to try to legally restrict that kind of travel/PO Box situation in the future, though!

Another resource that Plan C lists is Aid Access, which has a Dutch doctor write prescriptions that are then sent to an Indian pharmacy and then to the U.S.. Plan C also lists some sites in their directory that don't require a prescription, as well. None of this comes without legal risks but it's often a gray area -- just acquiring pills isn't generally a crime (right now) in and of itself, and USPS says they won't proactively intervene.