With US Supreme Court abortion drug hearing looming, study shows how self-managed abortion became more common post-Dobbs

Medication abortion has seen a rise in popularity in the US, especially after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision removed the federal right to an abortion. A recent study found that there were approximately 26,000 more self-managed medication abortions than expected in the six months following the Dobbs decision. This suggests that self-managed medication abortion may have accounted for a significant portion of the decrease in abortions within formal health-care settings. The study tracked trends in abortion pill requests made through various sources outside of the formal health-care system. Self-managed medication abortions occur outside the supervision of healthcare professionals but are considered safe and effective. The findings of this study shed light on the impact of the Dobbs decision and the increasing prevalence of self-managed medication abortion.