What is described as an “underground abortion pill network” shipped at least 20,000 packets of the pills across the country in the six months after the demise of Roe v. Wade.
According to VICE News, the abortion pills do not originate from either abortion clinics or “abortion telehealth organizations.” Instead, the suppliers function outside of the legal healthcare system.
An “underground abortion pill network” shipped at least 20,000 packs of abortion pills across the country. https://t.co/wTaGPTL7Pm
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 24, 2023
Two sources told VICE News that there is high demand for the pills that has resulted in a sprawling “underground abortion network.”
The outlet spoke with Christie Pitney, who along with being a licensed nurse practitioner and a midwife is a co-founder of the Abortion Freedom Fund. She said that the network will continue to expand as more Republican-led states restrict access to abortions.
Pitney reportedly works with Aid Access, which mails abortion pills to state where the procedure is illegal. The group allegedly uses an overseas doctor as the source for the pills.
The nurse said she works legally with women in two states and previously dispensed pills to roughly 60 per month. Now she reported that number is in the hundreds, and that’s just people she works with personally.
Pitney told VICE News that the overall number for her organization for the period from June 2022 to Dec. 2022 is an estimated 20,000 abortion pills. The report concluded that the actual number of abortion pills dispensed through these means is likely higher.
It was noted that the 20,000 pills does not necessarily mean there have been 20,000 abortions. Some of the doses may have been obtained to be stocked up to end future pregnancies.
The report detailed the workings of the website Plan C, which gives information on abortion pill access. Elisa Wells, a co-founder of the organization, told VICE News that abortion pills are “flowing into this country” from abroad.
An October 2022 New Yorker report revealed an underground network of women who refer to themselves as “Pill Fairies.” This group allegedly smuggles the drugs across the Mexican border using disguises, burner phones, and encryption apps.
Last June’s Supreme Court decision put regulation of abortion squarely in the hands of the states. Pro-abortion advocates are now attempting to circumvent this ruling, and it is highly likely that Washington will look the other way, leaving it up to the states to enforce their statutes.
