Teenagers circumvent parental approval with telemedicine abortion

One report A recent study found that American teenagers and young adults are obtaining abortion pills through telemedicine in large numbers.

The document, published in the magazine JAMA Health Forumanalyzed telemedicine abortion requests offered by an online provider across three age groups (15 to 17 years old, 18 to 24 years old, and 25 to 49 years old). The report found that young adults, ages 18 to 24, request abortion medications much more frequently than older adults, and that more teens request abortion pills in states with laws that require parental consent for abortion.

The study found a “growing demand among teenagers and young adults in environments with legal restrictions”. “Young people appear to be increasingly reliant on online telemedicine services for abortions, and the accumulation of legal restrictions is driving even greater demand,” the report says.

Michael New, senior research associate at the Charlotte Lozier Institute and assistant professor at Catholic University of America, told EWTN News that the report shows how abortion pills “undermine abortion bans, heartbeat laws, and pro-life parental involvement laws that are on the books in more than 30 states.”

For girls ages 15 to 17 who requested abortion pills, New highlighted that “the largest increase was seen in states that had parental consent laws and parental notification laws.”

“Overall, orders for telemedicine pills for medication abortion increased after the Dobbs decision,” noted New. “However, states that had some type of parental involvement law saw considerably larger increases than states without such a law.”

This can put women at risk, he said. “There are serious public health concerns about giving underage girls access to chemical abortions through telemedicine,” New said. “Underage girls who seek abortions through telemedicine often do so to hide their pregnancy or sexual activity from their parents. Therefore, they may be less likely to seek medical care if complications occur. This increases the health risks involved in having an abortion.”

Several studies indicate high hospitalization rates among women using abortion pills. Medical abortion has a complication rate four times higher than that of surgical abortion, according to a study. Other report found that complications related to the abortion pill are often underreported or misclassified.

“Overall, research shows that chemical abortion pills, taken under in-person medical supervision, have a much higher complication rate than surgical abortions,” New said. “The fact that underage girls are obtaining chemical abortion pills online without in-person medical supervision only increases these risks.”

©2026 Catholic News Agency. Published with permission. Original in English: Teens sidestep parental notification through telehealth abortion, study shows