The Trump administration has urged health care professionals to provide services by telephone throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Along with stemming the spread of coronavirus by limiting in-person consultations, telemedicine provides more efficient care and reduces stress — but only for some patients, apparently. The Trump administration is still forcing patients to pick up abortion medications in person. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing over the policy.
During the pandemic, many patients are able to receive medication from a mail-order pharmacy. With telemedicine allowing people to see their doctors from home, they don’t need to step outside for necessary health care and can better comply with social distancing orders. However, the Food and Drug Administration placed restrictions on mifepristone, one of the drugs used to medically induce an abortion, that makes this process impossible to obtain the drug.