Self-managed medical abortion via telemedicine
During and after the coronavirus pandemic, many countries have changed their abortion laws to allow full abortion at home. This report summarises lessons learned from six different countries and provides recommendations for civil society and policymakers.
Download: Self-managed medical abortion via telemedicine (pdf)
Today, 96 per cent of all abortions in Sweden are performed medically through pills. Many persons want to have an abortion at home for various reasons. It may be that the home is a safe environment, that they have had an abortion before and feel safe with the process, or that they live far away from health care and want to avoid travelling.
Under the current Swedish abortion law, abortion must be performed in a hospital and by a doctor. In practice, the healthcare system has solved this by allowing the person seeking treatment for abortion to take the first dose of pills in the hospital and then, if they wish, to take the second dose of pills at home.
Abortion via telemedicine increases access
Abortion via telemedicine provides an alternative to abortion care that is person-centred, rights-based and equitable, and when offered as a complement to medical and surgical abortion care in a clinic, has the potential to increase access to care.
In this report, RFSU provides an overview of experiences from other countries regarding self -managed medical abortions via telemedicine and shows how we can create the most favourable environment possible to implement this in Sweden.
Download: Self-managed medical abortion via telemedicine (pdf)