NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts in some states to ban abortion, but providers where the procedure is still available report increased demand, often from women concerned about economic stress and health concerns in the community related to the pandemic.
“The calls we’re getting are frantic,” said Julie Burkhart, who runs clinics in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City. “We’ve seen more women come earlier than they would have done because they’re afraid they won’t be able to access the services later.”
Some clinics are treating patients who have traveled hundreds of miles from states like Texas, which have banned abortions for much of the pandemic because they are unnecessary.
dr Allison Cowett of Family Planning Associates in Chicago said one of the youngest patients was a teenager driving from Texas with his mother. In Atlanta, Dr. Marissa Lapedis that her clinic housed a woman who received her first abortion consultation in Texas but flew to Georgia when the Texas interdiction postponed a second visit to receive the abortion pill.
An influx of women from Texas contributed to the surge in abortions at Burkhart’s Wichita clinic. She said 252 abortions were performed in March, up from 90 in March 2019.
dr Jen Villavicencio, an abortion provider in Michigan, predicts the demand for abortions will continue to rise during the pandemic.
“I hear it daily in the voices and questions of my patients,” she said via email. “They worry about how to earn their rent, support their family and get access to a ventilator if they need it.”
The pandemic has prompted Planned Parenthood, the country’s largest abortion provider, to make adjustments.
In New York City, the US epicenter of the outbreak, Planned Parenthood has modified medical abortion procedures to minimize travel and potential COVID-19 exposure for patients and staff.
dr Meera Shah is the Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, which serves New York’s northern suburbs. She says her staff are expanding telemedicine as they see a surge in patients wanting an abortion, often convinced that “having a child isn’t best for them right now.”
“We provided an EMT with a medical abortion while she was in her ambulance,” Shah said. “We offered abortion treatments to a mother who was at home with her children running behind her.”
dr Anne Davis, a gynecologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, said all services at her hospital are under stress and COVID-19 patients are numerous. In most cases, her team refers women who want an abortion to out-of-hospital clinics.
She cited a patient who wanted to conceive but requested an abortion when it became clear her medical condition would require multiple hospital visits. Davis said the woman received comparable treatment during her first pregnancy but this time decided the hospital wasn’t as safe.
One of the biggest challenges in counseling pregnant women is uncertainty, Davis said.
“We don’t know enough about it to say it will be fine — your pregnancy will be normal and there will be no impact from COVID-19,” she said. “They want us to say everything will be fine. We have to say, ‘We don’t know.’”
At the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois, near Saint Louis, Associate Director Alison Dreith says women are now less likely to change their minds when planning an abortion. Usually 50% pull through; amid the pandemic, the rate is 85%.
Hannah Dismer, a Hope Clinic staffer, said a couple decided to terminate a planned pregnancy. The woman feared giving birth in a hospital could expose her to the coronavirus and pose a risk to the child they have.
“It hit me really hard that she and her husband had to make this difficult decision,” Dismer said.
Another concern is that abortion bans will force some women to continue with high-risk pregnancies.
“Without services, very sick babies will be born and families will be forced to see them suffer, who at other times would have made different decisions,” said Dr. Maryl Sackeim, a gynecologist from Chicago.
The push for new bans has lent urgency to a campaign offering information on relatively safe do-it-yourself abortion options.
Many abortions are induced at home with a combination of two drugs under the guidance of a healthcare professional. Advocacy groups say home abortions with one of the drugs — misoprostol — can be performed without professional supervision.
Misoprostol is only available by prescription in the US, but is available online in some countries where it is sold over the counter.
Attorney Jill E. Adams, executive director of If/When/How, supports this option and urges prosecutors not to target women who use this method.
“During this pandemic, more people will need abortions,” she said. “Targeting people who terminate their pregnancy at home is legally incorrect and dangerous to public health.”
Amid debate over whether abortion is an essential service, anti-abortion activists have mobilized outside numerous clinics – in some cases sparking confrontations with police over whether they are breaking social distancing rules. In North Carolina, eight of about 50 protesters were arrested on April 4 after refusing to disperse outside a Charlotte clinic.
Even as many businesses close temporarily, anti-abortion pregnancy centers remain open. The Virginia-based Care Net, which oversees about 1,100 centers, summoned the pandemic in an appeal for donations, noting that unplanned pregnancies can increase during isolation and “our centers need to find creative ways to serve and empower these parents.” to choose life.” (backslash)
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