Inside the Illicit Market for Abortion Pills on Telegram

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A WIRED investigation reveals a surge of abortion pill sales on Telegram. Over 200 groups/channels explicitly mention selling abortion pills, with a focus on marketing to the US since Roe v. Wade was overturned. 📷: James Marshall; Getty Images

Hundreds of messages from the data that contained pricing information indicate that the average cost of purchasing a purported pack of abortion pills on Telegram is currently $135.

After joining several of Dr. Pooja Gupta’s channels, WIRED reporters received a private Telegram message from a user known as Manisha Gupta offering medication abortion for $90. When WIRED reporters expressed interest in making a purchase, a person prepared the order and sent an image showing a blister pack of pills, and an envelope with that day's date as well as the address WIRED provided for shipment. The return address written on the envelope was a location in Mumbai, India.

Some groups on Telegram have US-specific names or descriptions, like “Abortion Pills in Republican States,” but most have more generic names and claim to deliver to dozens of countries. For instance, one of the largest and most active channels in the data set dates from August 2021 and is apparently specifically geared toward delivering abortion pills to Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Philippines—all countries where legal access to abortion is restricted.

 

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