In this week’s episode, NAWL member Alyse Rosenberg, Senior Corporate Counsel at Pfizer, is joined by Dana Northcraft, Founding Director of Reproductive Health Initiative for Telehealth Equity & Solutions (or RHITES), and Natalie Birnbaum, RHITES’ State Legal and Policy Director, for a discussion on the legal issues surrounding telehealth for abortion care. Dana and Natalie explain how telehealth has expanded access to abortion care, outline the rapidly changing legal and regulatory landscape following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and discuss the challenges facing providers and patients across the country. They also share how RHITES supports abortion and telehealth providers through legal resources, policy guidance, and its Legal Support Network. Tune in for an insightful conversation on healthcare innovation, reproductive justice, and the critical role telehealth plays in expanding access to care.
In this week’s episode, NAWL member Alyse Rosenberg, Senior Corporate Counsel at Pfizer, is joined by Dana Northcraft, Founding Director of Reproductive Health Initiative for Telehealth Equity & Solutions (or RHITES), and Natalie Birnbaum, RHITES’ State Legal and Policy Director, for a discussion on the legal issues surrounding telehealth for abortion care.
Dana and Natalie explain how telehealth has expanded access to abortion care, outline the rapidly changing legal and regulatory landscape following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and discuss the challenges facing providers and patients across the country. They also share how RHITES supports abortion and telehealth providers through legal resources, policy guidance, and its Legal Support Network.
Tune in for an insightful conversation on healthcare innovation, reproductive justice, and the critical role telehealth plays in expanding access to care.
Show Notes
Learn more about RHITES and its work at the intersection of telehealth and reproductive justice: https://www.rhites.org/
Explore RHITES' Telehealth for Medication Abortion (TMAB) Maps to stay informed about abortion and telehealth laws across the United States: https://www.rhites.org/map
Connect with RHITES to learn about its Legal Support Network, training opportunities, or ways to support its work: info@rhites.org
Discover the Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights Bar Association (SHRRBA), a national network of legal professionals advancing reproductive freedom: https://shrrba.org/
A special thank you to We The Action for their support on this episode.
Bios
Dana Northcraft, JD (she/her), is the Founding Director of RHITES (Reproductive Health Initiative for Telehealth Equity & Solutions), the only organization that sits at the intersection of the telehealth industry and the sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations to inform, educate, and empower these entities to embrace and expand telehealth for abortion care. Dana began her journey in the telehealth space in 2015 with her work as Senior Director, Innovation & Policy in the CAPS Department of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). Prior to joining PPFA, Dana was responsible for inspiring collective work as a litigation attorney, representing injured people in negligence claims with a particular focus on the Chinese immigrant population in NYC as well as union workers and veterans nationwide. Dana holds a JD from CUNY School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She co-leads the Telehealth for Medication Abortion Care Working Group and is a Society for Family Planning Affiliate Fellow and was formerly the co-chair of the Telehealth Practitioners Special Interest Group. Dana is admitted to the New York Bar, S.D.N.Y., and E.D.N.Y. to practice law.
Natalie Birnbaum, Esq. is a healthcare attorney and policy expert shaping future of telehealth for medication abortion. As the State Legal and Policy Director at RHITES, her portfolio focuses on state policies impacting the equitable telehealth abortion care. As the founder of the boutique law firm, Repro Solutions PC, she advises telehealth providers and platforms across the country and successfully advocated for the passage of Shield Laws in New York and California. Natalie is based in New York City where she co-chairs the NYC Bar Association’s Sex & Law Committee and is the President & Co-founder of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights Bar Association. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, NPR, and the Washington Post.