As neighboring states continue to ban abortion and limit access to reproductive health care, national telehealth abortion provider Hey Jane has added Virginia to the list of states in which it operates.
Telehealth abortion care provider Hey Jane has expanded its services to Virginia, a move that not only benefits residents of the commonwealth but also the people in surrounding states – including Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia – subject to abortion bans and other barriers to reproductive health care.
The presence of Hey Jane in Virginia provides pregnant people seeking medication abortions the option of obtaining the necessary prescriptions by mail without having to travel or find an available appointment at in-person clinics. The company launched in 2021 with the goal of “putting the power back in people’s hands by providing care that’s private, safe, supportive, accessible, and convenient,” and it also operates in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Washington.
As Hey Jane pointed out in a statement announcing the expansion of its services, the move helps extend abortion care access to the 93% of Virginia counties that have no in-person clinics (Virginia is home to just 16 such clinics). It will also help alleviate the increasing demand on those clinics resulting from the abortion bans in neighboring states.
“By expanding to Virginia, we’re helping more people get the safe, effective, and compassionate care they deserve,” said Alyssa Wagner, DNP, RN, APRN, WHNP-BC, Medical Director at Hey Jane. “Our expert team has already helped nearly 30,000 patients receive treatment through our Complete Care approach and is now increasing fast and discreet access for anyone who can get to Virginia.”
Hey Jane’s expansion comes as mifepristone, the medication commonly used for abortions and to treat miscarriages, is facing legal challenges. The name-brand version of the drug was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago. Medical groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) tout its strong and extensive safety record, with AMA president Jack Resneck Jr., MD, saying that the recent legal and judicial attacks on the drug “fl[y] in the face of science and evidence and threatens to upend access to a safe and effective drug that has been used by millions of people.”
The drug remains available for now in states that have not banned it, and a final resolution to the court battles over access to it is months – possibly even more than a year – away.
