Cobb Reporter

A bill advanced by the Georgia Senate Health and Human Services Committee seeks to ban the delivery of abortion pills by mail, instead requiring in-person examinations.

This comes as the Food and Drug Administration decided in December that patients could get the drugs by mail after a telemedicine consult, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. As it stands, Georgians can obtain an abortion pill prescription just 24 hours following a phone appointment with a physician, with no physical exam required.

"We need to continue to reframe this issue," Rep. Park Cannon said in a press conference. "Access to abortion in Georgia is supported by 70% of voters and the elected officials are playing games with health care during a pandemic."

While the bill was advanced by the committee along party lines, critics of the passage say there is not much risk in drug-induced abortions and that the bill only intends to put up roadblocks for those seeking abortions, The Associated Press reported.

"In the name of safety, this bill sets out requirements for which there is no current medical justification," Dr. Melissa Kottke, a pregnancy and contraception specialist at Emory University and former president of the Georgia Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, told the AP. "Indeed, it denies medical advancements, and ultimately this bill will put into law substandard medical care. It will do harm."

Despite concerns, proponents of the bill say the pill may cause complications, and patients must be supervised by physicians, the AP reported.

The measure, introduced by Republican Sen. Bruce Thompson, now sits in the Senate Rules Committee for approval, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.