Planned Parenthood locations in western Washington and Hawaii are now offering abortion pills to people who are not currently pregnant. Patients can get the pills and keep them in their medicine cabinet in case of a future unwanted pregnancy.
A month into the new program, fewer than 100 people have taken Planned Parenthood up on this.
Dr. Colleen McNicholas is a medical affairs chief for the Planned Parenthood chapter that includes those locations. She said she expects more interest as word spreads.
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“Uptake is growing,” she said. “I expect[ed] when we launched this … that there would be somewhat of a slow start because people haven’t been accustomed to thinking about abortion in a preventative way.”
McNicholas said some patients are interested in this option because they’re worried their birth control could fail; others are concerned that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could limit access to abortion medication.
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“ The real benefit, I think, of having just-in-case medication abortion is for folks for whom access is difficult,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if an appointment is available. What matters to them is being able to negotiate when they can take off work in a private way, how they can find somebody to watch their kids.”
Insurance doesn’t cover abortion pills “just in case,” so patients either need to apply for financial assistance or pay about $150 out of pocket.
The pills have a shelf life of about two years.
McNicholas said providers counsel patients that the intent is that they take the pills in the state where they got them.