Abortion Pill: Australian Women May Access Abortion Pills Via Phone, No Doctor Visits Required

Women in Australia may now undergo abortions without visiting a doctor or pharmacists as the Tabbot Foundation launches a telephone service that would make the procedure more accessible and affordable.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), the system devised by the foundation will have women getting their assessment through phone calls only, via the toll-free number 1800-180-880. Once assessed and approved, the abortion pills will be mailed to them, eliminating doctor or pharmacy visits.

A typical package a woman expects to receive after the assessment includes abortions pills like mifepristone and misoprostol or RU486, a common abortion drug used around the world, as well as a set of prophylactic antibiotics, painkillers and anti-nausea drugs. The total cost of the package is at AU$250.

To qualify for abortion pills by phone, a woman must be pregnant in less than nine weeks, according to SMH. Those requiring further consultations, such as an ultrasound or a blood test, will be referred to local clinics. The doctor should be able to receive the results of the tests in order to conduct further phone consultations. Cases that require psychological assessments, on the other hand, may also be done over the phone, the news outlet further reported.

The idea for this system is so that cost and burden of abortion is lessened, especially for those who actually need it, according to The New Daily. According to a spokesperson for the foundation, this move isn't supposed to draw surprising reactions as treatment via phone calls is becoming more common in the country.

"Medical pregnancy termination through teleconference is one of the most appropriate medical conditions you can use this for because you don't have to examine the patient," said the spokesperson in a news statement. "It will also mean women who might have felt intimidated going into an abortion clinic don't have to," the spokesperson added.

This move has the support of the Reproductive Choice Australia. "I think this will make a really big difference," said the organization's co-president Jenny Ejlak, according to Daily Mail. "It will provide access to medical termination in a lot of parts of the country where it's not available at all, but it will also provide an option for women that is probably going to be a lot cheaper than the other clinics." 

Additionally, the Tabbot Foundation said that their system will also do follow up blood tests after the abortion to confirm that the procedure was successfully done. "We won't discharge the patient until we are happy with the end result," the spokesperson said, according to Mamamia.