Outside the Supreme Court, Aid Access, in collaboration with Women on Waves, planned to unveil Abortion “Roe-bots”, who would distribute abortion pills. The robots would be operated remotely from within shield law states, where legal protection safeguards abortion providers against punitive measures.
An Amicus Brief, representing women who have used Aid Access’s telemedical abortion service, highlighted the indispensable role of telemedical services. Studies referenced in it demonstrate that the most common reasons for requesting telemedical abortion services were the inability to afford in-clinic care (73.5%), privacy (49.3%), and clinic distance (40.4%). A large proportion of those who have received telemedical abortion services live below the federal poverty level and in a socially vulnerable environment.
Telemedical abortion services are well-established in law in the UK, France, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and, since December 2022, the USA. Aid Access is committed to providing abortion pills by mail or by Roe-bots across all 50 US states, independently of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
SOURCE: Aid Access. Press release. E-mail, 24 March 2024.