First, telehealth abortions are increasing. When a woman obtains a telehealth abortion, she is mailed chemical abortion pills without an in-person medical exam. According to the report, in the first three months of 2024, 20 percent of all abortions were done via telehealth. This raises questions about the accuracy of these abortion estimates. Telehealth abortions are self-reported by companies that send abortion pills through the mail. These companies may have incentives to inflate their numbers.  Furthermore, the fact that abortion pills were ordered does not necessarily mean that an abortion was obtained. Some women might have changed their mind. Others might have ordered chemical-abortion pills for future use.

Furthermore, in the first three months of 2024, over 27,000 telehealth abortions took place under shield laws. This is over 9 percent of the total. Shield laws are in effect in six states. They provide legal protection to medical professionals who send chemical-abortion pills into states with legal protections for preborn children.