Friday’s Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has reverberations even in Maryland, where abortions have been legal for 30 years. To get a sense of the decision’s impact in the state, WYPR’s Rachel Baye spoke with Karen Nelson, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, on Thursday, just before the ruling. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Baye: You started to say that people in Maryland are worried. Tell me what the concerns are.
Nelson: We have access issues already in Maryland. Now, if other states lose access to abortion care, there’s a concern that our volumes are going to go high, with people traveling from other states to to get health care here within this state.
Baye: You mentioned access issues already in Maryland. Can you elaborate on that?
Nelson: Oh yeah. Two thirds of the counties in Maryland do not have abortion providers.
Baye: Are you able to provide medicinal abortions via telehealth in-state?
Nelson: Yes. There is a counseling session and you would have to qualify for no physical examination. So not everybody does, but if you do, then we can do this via telemedicine and you can get your pills by mail.
Read more (and listen) at WYPR.
