Study shows telemedicine abortion is safe

THE study done by academics at UCT and the Karolinska Institutet – a research-led medical university in Stockholm, Sweden – into accessing safe abortion services in South Africa has revealed that telemedicine abortion is safe, effective and a viable alternative to the conventional medical procedure, especially for women in under-resourced settings.

Scientists drew these and other conclusions after completing the world’s first randomised control trial (RCT) into the efficacy of telemedicine abortion – a medication-based abortion that generally relies on a two-drug combination and is aimed at women in their first trimester.

According to Dr Margit Endler, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Karolinska Institutet and an adjunct senior researcher in UCT’s School of Public Health and Family Medicine, abortion is an essential part of a woman’s reproductive rights.