Medical abortions done at home using pills and an online telemedicine service appear to be just as safe and effective as those done at legal clinics, a new study has found. "Among women in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, early medical abortion provided through online telemedicine was highly effective," lead author Dr. Abigail Aiken and her co-authors wrote. "The reported rate of successful medical abortion compares favourably with the rates of those carried out within the formal health-care system." Millions of women around the world live in countries where self-sourced medical abortion is a potentially life-saving option, the study's authors note, and medical abortion offers an alternative to dangerous methods, such as using sharp objects or noxious substances. Rural considerationsCanadian women could also benefit from using telemedicine to access medical abortion, Norman says.

Source: CBC News May 17, 2017 01:18 UTC