American doctors defy US abortion ban laws

Nurse Lauren Jacobsen (31 years old) has been overseeing the daily process of sending around fifty packages containing abortion pills for the past few weeks. Most of the delivery addresses are in states like Texas, where abortion is restricted.

Jacobsen, who describes herself as a remote medical consultant for women, considers this activity a form of "active resistance."

She believes that the people in Texas deserve the same human rights as residents of states like Connecticut and should have access to the same healthcare services as the residents of those states.

The organization "Aid Access" coordinates the delivery of abortion pills. Between mid-June and mid-July, the organization allowed around 3,500 women living in states with abortion bans to obtain abortion pills, which were prescribed by seven American doctors.

These doctors decided to participate in the delivery process because they practice in one of the five American states that have enacted laws protecting doctors if they are legally pursued by authorities in another state where abortion is banned. These five states are Massachusetts, Colorado, Vermont, New York, and Washington.

These laws prevent doctors from delivering to other states or transferring their documents, in addition to not subjecting their work licenses or professional insurance to threat.

However, working in states that ban abortion carries risks despite these "protective" laws.

Jacobsen says, "One day, someone might ask the judiciary to review these laws," suggesting that she could face "murder charges" in Texas.

As a precautionary measure, she refrained from traveling to the fifteen states that ban abortion in total.

The battle between progressive and conservative states over abortion has been symbolic since the US Supreme Court revoked the right of American women to have an abortion in June 2022.

With these "protective laws," democratic states can significantly limit the scope of the ban imposed in Republican states, especially if more doctors take this step. California is expected to pass a similar law in the fall.

"Aid Access" was active before the laws were even passed, as the Dutch doctor who founded the organization was the one who prescribed pills to women. However, the delivery process took a long time, sometimes reaching several weeks, as the abortion pills came from India.

Since American healthcare providers took over the task in mid-June, the orders have taken only a few days to arrive "because they can get them from the United States," as explained by New York-based physician Linda Bryan, who works with "Aid Access." She adds, "The earlier the abortion is performed, the safer it is."

Women do not need to consult via video; healthcare providers need only review medical information provided by women through the organization's website. The abortion pills are prescribed for up to the thirteenth week of pregnancy and are taken at home.

The cost of this service is $150, which can be reduced if the woman faces financial difficulties.

Bryan points out that about a quarter of women cannot afford the full amount, saying, "This is where their inability to travel to a democratic state for an abortion becomes clear."



AFP