Dr. Abigail Aiken:

That is another great question. The mission of Women on Web is to provide to countries where safe legal services are unavailable. In a country with readily available abortion service, in Great Britain, for example, most women are accessing abortion in a clinical setting. Some still write to Women on Web, however, because they are in a specific situation where getting to a clinic is very difficult. This may be because of an abusive or controlling partner or perhaps because of a physical disability that makes it hard for them to reach a clinic. The provision of a readily available service, then, does not completely eliminate the barriers to access that some women might experience. It is to the countries where abortion is not legally available through the formal health care system, however, that Women on Web and another online telemedicine service provide. This is where the demand is coming from. There is a correlation between the absence of service in a country and women writing to Women on Web for help. Counselling services are not mandatory in countries like Britain, where very few people need to contact telemedicine services because they have access to clinics. Where such counselling is required or desired by a woman, however, it is fully integrated according to best practice into the abortion care provided.