‘Huge increase’ in demand for abortion pills in US after Trump election victory – National
A few hours after that of Donald Trump presidential victoryAmericans began seeking to stockpile reproductive health medications, including emergency contraception and abortion pillsamid widespread fears that his administration will restrict access to these critical resources.
The abortion pill mifepristone – sold under the names Mifegymiso in Canada and Mifeprex in the United States – has been flying off shelves, with online retailers reporting a surge in demand as people take proactive steps to safeguard their reproductive autonomy, Elisa explained Wells, co-founder of Plan Ca US public health initiative that helps facilitate medical abortion.
“Before the election results were released at the beginning of the month, we had 4,500 visitors per day. Yesterday we had 82,900 visitors. This is a huge surge of people looking for information on how to access abortion,” she said. “We also know from talking to providers that they have seen a big increase in requests for abortion pills. »
Wells believes the increase in demand after the election will continue for some time, as people take steps to secure their reproductive health options for the future.
This is because the abortion pill is a controversial issue in the United States In June, the United States Supreme Court rejected an offer from anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to the abortion pill. About half of U.S. states allow online prescribing and mail delivery of mifepristone, while the rest restrict its availability or ban it altogether.
Although mifepristone remains legal in many states, there are growing concerns that access will be more restricted under the Trump administration, particularly given the former president’s hesitant stance on a possible ban.
“What’s really happening is people are afraid that abortion won’t be accessible, even in states that currently offer it. There is a lot of fear in the United States. And it’s hard to know whether that fear is justified,” Wells said.
“Based on what Trump has said about abortion…he has flip-flopped over the years. »
Americans aren’t just stockpiling abortion pills, they’re also buying other reproductive health medications like birth control and emergency contraception.
Wisp, a US online sexual and reproductive health company, told Global News it has seen a significant increase in demand for Plan B (emergency contraception) since Trump’s presidential victory.
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On November 6, sales of emergency contraceptive pills jumped nearly 1,000 percent, with contraceptive sales increasing 50 percent and purchases of emergency contraception by new patients increasing 1,650 percent. And orders for medical abortion pills jumped 600 percent between November 5 and 6, a spokesperson said.
The Hey Jane telehealth clinic reported a 27 percent increase in medication abortion prescriptions, a 35 percent increase in birth control prescriptions and a 123 percent increase in requests for emergency contraception in the aftermath of the presidential election.
Mifepristone is prescribed to end pregnancies by dilating the cervix and blocking the hormone progesterone, necessary to maintain a pregnancy. It is usually taken with a second medication, misoprostol, which causes cramping and contractions of the uterus. The two-drug regimen is used to terminate a pregnancy up to 10 weeks in the United States.
Mifepristone is legal in Canada and the United States and is available with a doctor’s prescription. The abortion pill, approved by the FDA in 2000, is used in more than 60 percent of abortions in the United States.
The FDA said that after decades of use by millions of women in the United States and around the world, mifepristone has been shown to be “extremely safe” and that studies have demonstrated that “serious adverse events are extremely rare.”
The mifepristone and misoprostol regimen is also on the World Health Organization’s list. list of essential medicines.
In Canada, the abortion pill can be prescribed up to nine weeks of gestation for on-label use. Doctors can prescribe it off-label up to 10 weeks of gestation because it has been used safely and effectively up to this gestational age and beyond.
Medical abortion with mifepristone is 95 to 98 percent effective when used as directed. The risk of serious complicationssuch as infection or hemorrhage that may require hospitalization or transfusion, is only 0.4 percent.
Wells explained that mifepristone has a shelf life of about five years, while misoprostol lasts about two years. Because of this extended shelf life, she recommends people consider keeping abortion pills on hand as a precaution.
“Many providers we work with offer the option to obtain abortion pills in advance and store them just in case. With the new administration, we suggest people consider that,” she said. “Be prepared: Medication lasts for years and it’s a fairly inexpensive way to have something essential in your medicine cabinet.”
What did Trump say about the abortion pill?
In an interview published in April by Time reviewTrump declined to comment on access to mifepristone, an abortion pill.
“Well, I have an opinion about that, but I’m not going to explain it. I’m not going to say it yet. But I have some pretty strong opinions on this. And I’ll probably publish it next week,” he said in the Time interview.
During the first presidential debate of 2024 with President Joe Biden in June, Trump said he would not restrict access to abortion medications if elected.
However, Project 2025The conservative administration’s draft by former Trump officials and other close advisers, in which he has said he was not involved, calls on the FDA to withdraw its approval of the abortion pill.
Google searches are skyrocketing
Google searches for reproductive rights also increased after Trump’s election victory.
On November 6, Google searches for “vasectomy” increased, with the highest search volumes coming from Utah, Alaska, Indiana, Nebraska and Kentucky. Abortion is prohibited in Kentucky and Indiana, while Utah imposes an 18-week abortion ban and Nebraska limits abortion access to 12 weeks.
The search term “does Planned Parenthood do vasectomies” has also increased by 450% in the past few days, according to Google.
“Bilateral salpingectomy,” which is a surgical procedure involving the removal of both fallopian tubes, also saw high popularity in Google searches.
Additionally, “sterilization for women,” “vasectomy cost,” “tied tubes,” and “shelf life of abortion pills” have all increased and emerged as key terms.
It’s difficult to predict what will happen over the next four years under the Trump administration, Wells said, but she said organizations like Plan C are “preparing for the worst.”
“We plan to introduce pills into the country if they are no longer available from traditional medical providers. We have been working on this for 10 years and have built and scaled systems to meet access needs,” she said.
“Because we will continue to need access to abortion care when a country or state bans abortion, this will not change the demand for abortion care. »
— With files from Associated Press and Reuters
