Despite state bans, abortions have almost doubled. The reason? Pills via telehealth

A coordinator at the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project in Somerville, Mass. shows the two medications that can be mailed to patients who have received a prescription through a telehealth consultation. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption toggle caption Charles Krupa/AP Dr. Angel Foster had a backup plan. It was the first weekend in May. A federal appeals court had just made it illegal to mail mifepristone , a pill that's part of the most widely used abortion method in the U.S. Foster, a specialist in reproductive health, leads the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project , which ships abortion pills to some 3,500 patients a month nationwide, including in states with abortion bans. She told patients they had three options: They could get a refund. They could wait to see if the legal situation changed. Or she could ship them only misoprostol — a second drug already used in most medication abortions. Combined, mifepristone and misoprostol are considered the clinical "gold standard" for medication abortion. Misoprostol can be taken alone to induce an abortion, but some studies have suggested it's less effective, Foster warned patients. Plus, it can make the process longer and more painful, with more side effects, such as nausea and vomiting. Still, the vast majority of patients said the same thing: Just send it. "They didn't care," Foster said. …