Ohio Planned Parenthood launches statewide ‘telehealth’ abortion services as records show Ohio women have more abortions

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio recently launched telehealth abortion drug services all around Ohio, saying that it will help women living in rural areas or who cannot schedule and attend an in-person appointment.

Telehealth “medication” abortion, also known as TeleMAB, allows women, who must be at least 18 years old and no more than 11 weeks pregnant, to have a remote consultation, receive a prescription, and then have the drug shipped directly to their home, usually within one to two days of their appointment, according to Cleveland.com.

Gretchen Tepper, PPGO’s Senior Director of Abortion Services, told the news source that the program began on a small scale in 2025, conducting one to five telehealth “medication” abortion appointments every week. By February 2026, PPGO had been conducting between 10 and 15 appointments per week.

Tepper added that she expects even more appointments after the organization launches online scheduling by April.

“What we do know about patients who want to do tele-visits for abortion care is they don’t want to get on the phone,” she said. “So, we’re really expecting this to really kind of explode, for lack of a better term.”

Tepper said that the move will benefit women living in the rural parts of the state, adding that she thinks it is a “huge win for them.”

“We’re still seeing a lot of patients from urban areas that just don’t want to leave the house, and that’s great too,” she said.

The recent news came after the Ohio Department of Health released its 2025 annual abortion report, which revealed that 25,135 abortions were performed last year.

According to Statehouse News Bureau, that is an increase of more than 3,300 over 2024 – a 15% jump. The news source also said that it is the highest number since voters passed the amendment in 2023 to restrict abortion.

The amendment followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis responded to Statehouse News Bureau regarding the increased number of abortions last year, 20.9% of which came from other states.

“It’s a tragedy, and it’s almost a historic tragedy,” he said.

Gonidakis also expressed his concern about black women being responsible for 49% of abortions that were recorded last year, even though they make up only about 13% of Ohio’s population.

“It’s borderline criminal to see a disproportionate number yet again on black women when they make up such a small fraction of our state’s population,” he said. “It’s as if the abortion industry targets them. Where are abortion clinics located? They’re not located in rich white suburbs, I can tell you that.”

Gonidakis also brought up the fact that approximately 70% of the women who had abortions last year were unmarried, divorced, separated, or widowed, suggesting that since married women are less likely to have an abortion, the Ohio lawmakers should implement policies to strengthen families.