Iowa court issues ruling allowing remote dispensing of abortion pill

Published 9:39 am Friday, June 19, 2015

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court has issued a ruling that allows doctors to continue dispensing abortion-inducing pills remotely via a video teleconferencing system.

The high court released its unanimous opinion Friday.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, the local affiliate, had sued the Iowa Board of Medicine over its 2013 decision that would have required a doctor to be in the room with a patient when dispensing abortion-inducing medication. The board cited safety concerns over a required physical examination.

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