telemedicine
Lifting federal regulations on medication abortion won’t guarantee access in restrictive states like Ohio
By Danielle Bessett, PhD., and Kelsey Mello Advocates around the country are applauding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision earlier this month to review its longstanding restriction on the medication abortion drug mifepristone. Medication abortion is a safe and effective method to end a pregnancy, usually in the privacy of a patient’s own […]
FDA lifts in-person medication abortion regulation
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted regulations on medication abortion drugs, the subject of an Ohio court challenge. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists had been advocating for the remove of an in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone, a two-drug treatment used in medication abortions. The FDA recently halted enforcement of that dispensing requirement […]
Telemedicine abortion law stopped by Hamilton County court
A ban on the use of telemedicine for medication abortions was stopped by a Hamilton County judge on Monday, holding up a law that was set to take effect last week. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Alison Hatheway granted the preliminary injunction requested by Planned Parenthood clinics in Ohio on Senate Bill 260, a bill […]
Planned Parenthood sues Ohio over telemedicine abortion law
The national and state chapters of Planned Parenthood sued the state of Ohio Thursday over a law set to go into effect in mid-April that prohibits abortion services conducted through telemedicine. The lawsuit regards Senate Bill 260, signed into law in January and banning an available telehealth option for what’s called a medication abortion. In […]
Ohio abortion clinics praise lifting of global gag rule, set hopes on domestic funding
While local women’s health clinics are optimistic after President Joe Biden lifted a gag rule on federal funding to abortion-related international organizations, they still want to see domestic funding for abortion providers brought back as well. Biden rescinded the “Global Gag Rule,” also called the Mexico City Policy, brought in originally by President Ronald Reagan […]
On Roe v Wade anniversary, fighting for abortion access is more important than ever
Forty-eight years ago today the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, which established the legal right to an abortion across the United States. At that moment, a patchwork of state laws that too often restricted access to vital health care was swept aside. For the first time, courts recognized that patients deserve the right […]
House passes telemedicine abortion ban, expands telehealth elsewhere
The Ohio House passed a bill early Friday morning prohibiting medication abortions via telehealth. Minutes later, they moved to expand telehealth services in other ways. With a vote of 54-30 along party lines, Senate Bill 260 passed, prohibiting the use of telemedicine in a medication abortion in the state. The bill prohibits physicians from conducting […]
Legislators consider guns, abortion, HB 6 repeal and health department powers in last scheduled sessions
Update: At 10:45 a.m. Thursday, the Senate President announced the body could convene as needed, meaning Thursday might not be the last day of the legislative session. More guns. Fewer abortions. Delaying a nuclear bailout repeal and weakening the health department. With one official legislative day remaining in Ohio’s 133rd General Assembly, Ohio lawmakers have […]
Telemedicine abortion ban passed out of committee, moves to House full vote
A ban on the use of telemedicine in medication abortions passed through an Ohio House committee on Tuesday. There was no discussion of Senate Bill 260 before the vote in the House Health Committee meeting, with many who would have testified in person avoiding the Statehouse due to recent COVID-19 diagnoses among legislators. This was […]
Doctors: Telehealth medicine becoming the norm, needs to be law
The dramatic increase in the demand and use of telemedicine will continue through the pandemic, but should also be maintained as an option afterward, according to medical professionals. Physicians and medical groups support an Ohio bill which would expand regulation of telemedicine and even the prices health benefit plans charge for telehealth visits and in-person […]
Telehealth expansion bill introduced in Ohio Senate
A bill to expand telehealth amid a pandemic that continues to grow in Ohio has entered a state Senate committee for consideration. House Bill 679 passed the Ohio House in June, and seeks to expand telemedicine provisions already present in law regarding fields such as psychology, speech pathology, therapy and professional counseling, independent social workers […]
Dark Web: Telemedicine a challenge with lack of access in Appalachian communities
Note: This is the third story in a multi-part series detailing the effects of COVID-19 on Appalachian Ohio and how local residents, businesses and health professionals are responding to best serve their region. Ohio’s governor has expanded the state’s ability to use telemedicine during the coronavirus stay-at-home order, but for some parts of the state, […]