Can Technology Help Protect Womens’ Reproductive Rights?

I was alarmed to read this week that the Alabama Senate has passed a bill to outlaw abortion under almost all circumstances, including cases of rape and/or incest. Under the bill, doctors face 10 years in prison for attempting to terminate a pregnancy and 99 years for carrying out the procedure. It’s just one recent example of the legislative erosion of women’s reproductive rights. Fortunately, for decades, women’s reproductive rights groups, health providers, technologists, and hackers have been working together internationally to support a women’s right to choose. They’ve created a legacy of work that may be able to help. Let’s take a look:

Telemedicine

2018 research by the Journal of Medical Internet Research revealed that 27 major cities are 100 miles or more from their nearest abortion provider. The worst major city for abortion access is Rapid City, South Dakota, where women must travel 318 miles to get an abortion. Many women face significant barriers in reaching an abortion clinic. The time, money, lost wages, and childcare arrangements involved in accessing this basic reproductive right can be a substantial hardship for many women.

Although surgical abortions require clinic visits, over 30 percent of abortions are done with medication and might be provided with telemedicine — using webcams and video chats to diagnose and treat these patients, Dr. Elizabeth Raymond of Gynuity Health Projects in New York and colleagues argue in JAMA Internal…