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Key messages On 21 March 2020, in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) and the British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) produced clinical guidance for the provision of abortion care. These guidelines were introduced in order to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to abortion providers and women seeking abortion while allowing service provision through lockdown.1 As a result, telemedicine was introduced as recommended by NICE guidelines on abortion care.2 Telemedicine utilises information and communication technology to deliver healthcare services at a distance to increase a client’s access to healthcare. This allows healthcare professionals to deliver a service via telephone, video call and the internet. Since the introduction of the COVID-19 restrictions, 85% of abortion consultations are undertaken via telephone or video call in England.3 These conversations need to be conducted remotely in as safe a manner as possible, and additionally there needs to be the flexibility to provide a face-to-face appointment for those clients who may have difficulty accessing telemedicine or who do not have a private space in which to access a telephone or video call. During March 2020, the law changed to allow women to undergo an early medical abortion (EMA) in their own home. This change allowed …