The re-election of Donald Trump has triggered a significant spike in demand for abortion pills across the United States, driven by fears of potential restrictions on reproductive healthcare during his second term. Aid Access, a key provider of mail-order abortion pills, reported receiving over 5,000 requests within just 12 hours.
“I can see all the new requests ticking in as we’re talking,” founder Rebecca Gomperts shared with The Guardian. “We’ve never seen this before.” Despite Aid Access’s efficient system of having physicians in abortion-legal states prescribe and ship pills to states with bans, the scale of demand on Wednesday was unprecedented.
Similar patterns emerged nationwide. Telehealth platforms like Wisp recorded a 300% rise in emergency contraception requests, while Plan C, an abortion pill directory, saw a 625% increase in web traffic. “People are trying to plan for the reproductive apocalypse that we anticipate will be happening under a Trump presidency,” noted Elisa Wells, co-founder of Plan C.
Also Read: Donald Trump Emerges As Tiktok’s Unlikely Ally Amid Looming US Ban Deadline
Sales of Plan B also soared, with Wisp tripling its usual daily sales and bulk orders jumping to 90% of total sales by mid-morning. Telehealth service Winx reported a sixfold increase in Plan B orders by the afternoon.
Transgender healthcare providers faced similar demand spikes. QueerDoc’s founder, Dr. Crystal Beal, said inquiries from trans patients seeking to secure access to hormone therapy surged. “Some of it is ‘How can I safeguard my access to medication?’” Beal said, reflecting concerns over potential rollbacks of trans healthcare under Trump.
Trump’s administration is expected to target abortion pills, which constituted 63% of abortions in 2023. Potential restrictions could include stricter FDA rules or invoking the 1873 Comstock Act to hinder pill distribution, fueling concerns over reproductive rights under Trump 2.0.
