Case Study: Medical Abortions and Restrictions on Access to Medicine

The New York Times has a phenomenal report on Women on Web, an organization that provides drugs that induce a medical abortion to women in countries that heavily restrict access to abortions. The report covers the political and legal challenges Women on Web faces, both from domestic law in the Netherlands and importing restrictions of other jurisdiction. The article notes how some jurisdictions have made medical abortion via “telemedicine” illegal, even though medical groups have recognized that the procedure can be conducted safely at home. There are few articles that are better examples of the multitude of ways that legal restrictions can limit the enjoyment of health.