Aid Access

Aid Access is a nonprofit organization that provides access to medical abortion by mail in the United States. It is a harm reduction strategy designed to provide safe access to mifepristone and misoprostol for women and trans men in the United States who may not otherwise have access to abortion or miscarriage management services.[1] People are able to self-manage their own abortion with remote access to a physician and help-desk for any questions. The website is available in English and Spanish. Aid Access was founded by Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch physician, in March 2018.[2]

Aid Access
FormationMarch 2018 (2018-03)
FounderRebecca Gomperts
TypeNon-profit organization
Region
United States
ServicesAccess to safe abortion and miscarriage services
Websitewww.aidaccess.org

Services provided

Aid Access offers mifepristone in combination with misoprostol and misoprostol alone for medical abortion. Services available depend on the which state the person lives in. An online consultation process is required, which includes questions to assess for the medical eligibility and safety of providing medical abortion by mail.[1] In California, New Jersey, New York, and Washington a doctor can directly mail the medications required. In most other states, the physician provides a prescription and instructions for it to be filled with a pharmacy in India, which then mails the medication to the patient in the United States.[3] Due to shipping from outside of the United States, pills can sometimes take 3 weeks to arrive.[3]

Between January 2019 and April 2020, 49,935 requests were made to Aid Access with the online consultation form.[4]

Safety

There are no data addressing the safety of Aid Access in particular. Self-induced abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol can be performed safely, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).[5] The WHO recommends that determination of eligibility for medical abortion is done by a health provider, but self-administering the medications at home and self-assessing the completion of the abortion are recommended in specific circumstances.[6] This aligns with the care provided by Aid Access.[1]

FDA lawsuit

Aid Access was sent a letter by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 8, 2019 warning Aidaccess.org to cease selling "a misbranded and unapproved new drug" in the United States.[7] In a statement, the National Women's Health Network saw this as a politicized attack against medical abortion, rather than a broader attempt to curb online drug sales.[8] In response to this letter, 117 member of Congress sent a letter thanking the FDA for this action.[9] Gomperts did not comply with the warning and clarified that she was not selling medications in the United States, since she sent the prescriptions to an independent pharmacy, which then dispensed the medications.[10]

On September 9, 2019, on behalf of Aid Access, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts sued Alex Azar, then Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA, and other federal officials for seizing packages containing medications and blocking transfer of payments to Aid Access.[11] The goals of the suit were to stop these actions as well as stop the prosecution of Dr. Gomperts and Aid Access by the FDA in providing constitutionally protected abortion access. A motion to dismiss this suit was filed by the FDA on November 15, 2019, followed by a response letter back to the FDA on December 19, 2019.[12]

References
  1. "For a safe abortion or miscarriage treatment". AidAccess. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  2. Khazan, Olga (2018-10-18). "Women in the U.S. Can Now Get Safe Abortions by Mail". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  3. "Aid Access Abortion Pills Are Getting Stuck in US Customs". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  4. Aiken, Abigail R. A.; Starling, Jennifer E.; Gomperts, Rebecca; Tec, Mauricio; Scott, James G.; Aiken, Catherine E. (2020-07-21). "Demand for Self-Managed Online Telemedicine Abortion in the United States During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic". Obstetrics and Gynecology. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000004081. ISSN 1873-233X. PMID 32701762.
  5. Organization, World Health. (2019). Medical Management of Abortion. World Health Organization. ISBN 978-92-4-069900-7. OCLC 1122450460.
  6. World Health Organization. Reproductive Health and Research, issuing body. Health worker roles in providing safe abortion care and post-abortion contraception. ISBN 978-92-4-154926-4. OCLC 948838959.
  7. Research, Center for Drug Evaluation and (2019-12-20). "Aidaccess.org - 575658 - 03/08/2019". Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  8. "NWHN statement in response to the FDA's action against Aid Access". NWHN. 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  9. "Anti-Choice Lawmakers Cheer FDA Crackdown on Medication Abortion Imports (Updated)". Rewire.News. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  10. "A European doctor prescribes abortion pills to U.S. women over the internet — but the FDA is watching". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  11. "European Doctor Who Prescribes Abortion Pills To U.S. Women Online Sues FDA". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  12. "Legal complaint against the FDA". AidAccess. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
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