Antiabortion Extremists Can’t Target Abortion Pill Prescribers If They Don’t Know Their Names
Four years after the fall of Roe , telemedicine is not just a convenience. For thousands of women, it is the best or only option. Telemedicine’s success means that antiabortion threats have grown more sophisticated and intense.
By Galilea Rios SchulzJuly 17, 20261 min read
Four years after the fall of Roe, telemedicine is not just a convenience. For thousands of women, it is the best or only option.
Telemedicine’s success means that antiabortion threats have grown more sophisticated and intense. Pregnancy is statistically the most dangerous time in a violent relationship. Patients seeking abortion care also risk harassment and violence from hostile partners, as well as abortion opponents, and in the worst cases, life-threatening violence. A pill bottle with your name on it is evidence that can be used with threats to expose you to your employer, your family, immigration authorities or a stranger on social media.
We have developed legislation that would better safeguard the privacy of people seeking abortion care by allowing patients and providers to choose not to have their names appear on pill packaging. Our organization is currently working to pass this legislation in several states.
As Dr. Mary Applegate, a public health physician who testified in favor of such a bill in New York, spelled out: Allowing the use of a pseudonym on prescription labels can be a matter of life and death.
