Women prescribed the “abortion pill” after a videoconference with a doctor appear to fare as well as those who have a face-to-face visit, a new study finds. The findings, researchers say, suggest that using technology to expand access to the abortion pill can be safe and effective -- though it remains controversial. The study found that of 449 women seen at Iowa Planned Parenthood clinics, those who were given the abortion pill after a “telemedicine” consult had a successful abortion 99 percent of the time. That compared with 97 percent among women who saw a doctor in person. And there was no difference in the rate of serious side effects -- which were seen in just over 1 percent of women in each group, the researchers report in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
