WWhen the results of the presidential election were announced on Wednesday, Rebecca Gompertz, founder of Aid Access, the number one mail-order seller of abortion pills in the United States, announced that eight American doctors and 15 supporters He was gathered in an apartment in Paris with a team of people. staff. The group, which typically operates remotely and ships more than 9,000 abortion pills a month, knew it might have to convene in person and take action before the election.
they were right. As news of Trump’s victory spread, the website received more than 5,000 requests for abortion pills within 12 hours, an even bigger spike than the day after Roe v. Wade. “As we speak, you can see all the new demands coming into play,” Gomperts said by phone Wednesday afternoon. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
This scenario was repeated across the U.S. as news of Trump’s victory broke, with women and trans health care providers inundated with requests for services whose patients feared they would be barred under the Trump administration. Telemedicine service Wisp saw a 300% increase in requests for emergency contraception. Abortion pill search site Plan C saw a 625% increase in traffic.
“Clearly, people are trying to plan for the reproductive apocalypse that we expect will occur under President Trump,” Plan C co-founder Elisa Wells said.
we see what happens and protect ourselves
Cynthia Plotch
For Gomperts and the Aid Access team, the moment didn’t come as a shock. They’ve been preparing for it since the last Trump administration, when Dutch doctor Gomparts expanded international abortion pill services to the United States. Since then, Aid Access has devised a system in which doctors in states where abortion is legal can prescribe abortion pills and ship them to patients in states where abortion is illegal. The nonprofit eventually expanded to a team of eight doctors in four states and a 24/7 help desk.
But the scale of demand on Wednesday (five times more than a normal day) was shocking even to them.
“Our processes are very streamlined and we can respond to all requests very quickly,” Gomperts said. “But it’s much more (than usual). I think the reason for that is because people are aware of the potential of abortion pills and the threat of having it removed from the market.”
President Trump has upended the prospect of a nationwide abortion ban, arguing that women who obtain abortions illegally should be punished and that decisions should be left to individual states. But his Supreme Court appointment paves the way to overturn Roe in 2022, and his appointments to other lower courts have upheld even the strictest abortion bans in red states like Texas. He also has multiple options for prescribing and shipping abortion pills, which currently account for the majority of abortions in the United States.
The panic wasn’t just about abortion pills. Online women’s healthcare provider Wisp told the Guardian that by 11.30am on Wednesday, normal daily sales of emergency contraceptives had already tripled. Orders for Plan B bulk packs also increased significantly, from about 30% of emergency contraceptive orders at the beginning of the month to nearly 90% on Wednesday. New patient requests for Plan B also jumped from 50% to 70% of orders.
Telemedicine site Hey Jane said requests for birth control had doubled, and fellow women’s health service Winx said it had sold six times more Plan B by Wednesday afternoon than in the previous seven days combined.
“Women are smart,” said Winx co-founder Cynthia Plotch. “We’re watching what happens and we’re protecting ourselves.”
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Meanwhile, Dr. Crystal Beer was fielding a flood of emails Wednesday from trans patients concerned about access to hormones and hormone-blocking treatments. Beer runs a site called QueerDoc, which offers estrogen, testosterone, and hormone blockers. With President Trump hostile to transgender rights and vowing to punish doctors who provide gender-affirming treatment to minors, Beale’s patients know how to protect themselves from a second Trump administration. I wanted to.
By early Wednesday afternoon, QueerDoc had already received more messages that day than in a typical week.
“Some of it is, ‘How can we protect access to medicine?'” Beal said. “Some of them are, ‘Should I change my gender back on my legal documents to be on the safe side?'” Should I stop taking my medication to be on the safe side? ”
Beal said the service advises patients to stock up on hormone medications within state law and insurance coverage, and even advises trans men to reuse disposable testosterone bottles to extend their effectiveness. It is suggested that they be used. When it comes to stopping medications or changing documentation, Beal said that’s a more personal issue.
“I have to tell people that ultimately I can’t predict the future or make choices and decisions for them, and I certainly can’t give them legal advice.” Beal said. “But just because you change your documents or stop taking your medication, it doesn’t mean you are no longer male, female, or transgender. It doesn’t depend on the medication you’re on.”
QueerDoc sent a message to patients Wednesday morning reminding them that while they are worried about the future, “trans people will always be here and we will continue to persevere.” said Mr Beal. And all providers who spoke to the Guardian urged patients not to panic and said they would continue to provide services until the day they could no longer legally do so, and in some cases even beyond.
“Someone made a donation today with the message ‘Don’t let the bastards get you down,'” Wells said. “Politicians aren’t going to stop access, and they aren’t going to stop us.”
