The nation’s patchwork system of abortion laws is once again being challenged.

This time, opponents are targeting telehealth abortions. That’s when a provider in a state where abortion is legal meets virtually with a patient and sends them pills to take at home.

Those patients come from states all over the country – even those with abortion bans. A quarter of all abortions in the U.S. are done via telehealth. That’s according to a June report from the Society of Family Planning.

Now, attorneys general in Texas and Louisiana are suing a doctor in New York for prescribing pills to patients in their states, where abortion is almost completely banned. New York is one of several states that’s enacted shield laws after Roe was overturned. These statutes ban cooperation with other states’ attempts to enforce abortion bans.

Now that this has evolved into a battle between states, the Supreme Court is expected to weigh in soon. Their decision could drastically change access to abortion nationwide.

So, what’s at stake in this case? And how did states’ rights become the latest flashpoint in the battle over abortion access?

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Mark Krukkerink

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