A Canadian nonprofit that helps women get the abortion pill in countries with restrictions said it has seen a major surge in requests from the United States following the presidential election. Women on Web said it had 35 requests per day coming from the United States before the election. In the days after, it received four times the amount, totaling 145 per day.
The group’s executive director said most of the inquiries came from women who were not pregnant, but wanted the drug in case abortions are harder to access in the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
While Women on Web does not provide direct access to the pill, it connects women to doctors and pharmacies that can prescribe and give the drug.
Providing abortion pills before someone is pregnant is a practice called advance provision, which reduces delays in getting the medication in places where women face barriers.
Obstetrics and gynecology doctor Daniel Grossman told The Canadian Press it’s a very common FDA-approved practice but emphasized patients need to get follow-up medical care within 14 days of taking the pill.
After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, doctors in shield states stepped in to help people in places where abortion became banned or restricted.
Shield laws can legally protect providers who mail pills to states where they are banned. However, according to legal analysts, the cases can still be challenged in court.
Anti-abortion group Students for Life Action recently urged Trump to outlaw telehealth for abortion pills when he takes office, and endorsed Project 2025, a far-right think-tank policy paper that proposes reversing the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill and criminalizing mailing the drug.
Trump has said he plans to veto a federal abortion ban, adding the issue should be left to the states.
