Telehealth Abortion Pill & Clinical Abortion Pill: Is There a Difference?

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This entry was posted in Abortion

With the rise of at-home abortions and abortion medication, many women wonder if there is a difference between telehealth abortion pills and the pills received in an abortion clinic. Women’s Clinic of Atlanta provides safe, legal care, to ensure patients are informed prior to making a decision.

Telehealth Abortion Pill

A telehealth abortion pill, sometimes called the abortion pill by mail, is a medication regimen prescribed by a medical provider following an online doctor’s appointment. In many states, these clinicians will meet with the patient virtually via video-conferencing technology, complete a screening—which is less thorough than an in-person exam—and send the regimen to the patient’s home or desired mailbox.

Telehealth Abortions in Georgia

A telehealth abortion appointment in Georgia may be a more complicated process due to the 2022 passage and signing of Georgia’s House Bill 481, better known as the heartbeat bill. Georgia patients must prove their pregnancy has not reached the stage where a heartbeat can be detected, which usually occurs around week five or six following conception. Safe Georgia abortion providers will require proof, such as the results of an ultrasound screening, before they will prescribe the pills for an at-home abortion. Women’s Clinic of Atlanta provides ultrasound screening free of charge.

Since the passage of HB 481 in July 2022, the laws relating to telehealth abortion visits in Georgia have become especially murky. For example, Georgia patients must abide by Georgia’s rules, even if their telehealth provider is located in a less-restrictive state. This means that women in Georgia must still prove to their medical provider that they qualify to obtain abortion pills under Georgia law. Attempting to skirt the heartbeat ban by pursuing out-of-state telehealth providers or bypassing a provider altogether could lead to health or legal concerns.

Clinical Abortion Pill

The clinical abortion pill is essentially the same medication provided via telehealth. However, instead of meeting with a provider virtually, the patient will meet with their provider in person. The clinician will perform a screening—if one has not been completed already—and prescribe the medication needed to perform an abortion at home.

Clinical Abortions in Georgia

The same rules as the telehealth abortion appointments apply to Georgia patients seeking an abortion. If the abortion screening shows that the pregnancy has developed a detectable heartbeat, the provider may not prescribe any abortion pills to the patient.

As mentioned, avoiding a clinical screening before receiving pills may be considered illegal. Any attempt to bypass a screening or take the medication after the pregnancy has developed a heartbeat may lead to significant legal concerns for the provider.

If you are interested in the telehealth abortion pill or clinical abortion pill in Georgia, Women’s Clinic of Atlanta can provide your ultrasound and abortion screening. Text “appointment” to 404-777-4771 today.

Our team will perform your ultrasound and provide beneficial information about your options and the next steps in the abortion process.

Women’s Clinic of Atlanta is HIPAA compliant and AAAHC accredited.

If you missed our previous articles in our medical abortion series, check them out below:

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