The number of abortions in the U.S. accessed through telemedicine is growing. So are the challenges to this mechanism that has allowed patients in states with near-total abortion bans to acquire the abortion pill.⁠ ⁠ Abortions are on the rise in the U.S. despite more than a dozen states enforcing near-total bans on the procedure, according to a report released Monday by #WeCount, an abortion-data project sponsored by the Society of Family Planning, which supports abortion rights. There were more than 1.14 million abortions in the U.S. in 2024 compared with around 1.06 million in 2023, the report said.⁠ ⁠ One in four abortions in the U.S. were provided using telehealth at the end of 2024, compared with just 7% at the end of 2022, the report said. Half of those medication abortions were prescribed through telemedicine to patients living under bans by doctors operating in states with so-called shield laws. Eight states, including New York and Massachusetts, have shield laws designed to pr...