Texas makes abortion via telehealth a crime

This past month, a new law in Texas went into effect requiring physicians to examine patients in person before providing abortion medication and banning the delivery of such medications by mail. The new law notes that patients who use telemedicine for abortions are not criminally liable although some states have prosecuted individuals under other laws after they obtained abortion medication online. "The federal policy permits these drugs to be mailed, but doesn't require states to allow them to be mailed," said legal expert Josh Blackman of the South Texas College of Law Houston to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We can't lose sight that despite the FDA's decision, state laws – including in Texas – still ban access to medication abortion through telehealth or by mail, and will prevent patients from getting the healthcare they need," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said in a statement this past December.