Planned Parenthood to Begin Offering Direct Mail Medication Abortion via Mobile App in Illinois

Fairview Heights, IL — Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region (PPSLR) is expanding access to medication abortion in Illinois through a user-friendly mobile application. Beginning May 1, pregnant patients up to 10 weeks with an Illinois mailing address can now access the abortion pill with the Planned Parenthood Direct app (“PPDirect”) from the comfort of their home.

The introduction of this service makes Illinois only the fourth state in the country where this service is available via Planned Parenthood’s mobile app, and one of the most affordable among other direct mail services. Although patients can’t yet use their insurance to cover the service, the $200 self-pay option covers overnight shipping of the prescription kit, access to a dedicated support line, and an in-clinic follow-up appointment if necessary. 

Statement from Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region:

“By expanding our medication abortion offerings via the PP Direct app, we have fulfilled another milestone in our commitment to making abortion as accessible as possible. Patients will now have complete control over their abortion experience, accessing care when it is convenient and safe for them to do so. With abortion at their fingertips, patients can now avoid long wait times for in-clinic appointments and leave those coveted spots for the tens of thousands displaced from states where abortion remains banned. We will continue to work toward a reality where abortion is accessible for everyone who needs it, when they need it, where they live.”

Patients can get started by downloading the PPDirect app and filling out a patient health evaluation. A licensed clinician will then review the application within 24 hours, and if approved will then send out the kit for shipping. Patients with questions may follow-up with the clinician anytime via the PPDirect app. Recent studies have shown that medication abortion administered through direct mail is as safe and effective as a clinic visit.

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Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region provides options counseling, pregnancy testing, abortion care and other reproductive services for thousands of people in Missouri, Illinois and across the region each year. Our highly trained physicians and medical staff provide expert care in a supportive setting, no matter what. Patients can make an appointment online at plannedparenthood.org/health-center, or by phone at 618-277-6668