By DAVID CRARY and IRIS SAMUELS Associated Press About 40% of all abortions in the U.S. are now done through medication â rather than surgery â and that option has become all the more pivotal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abortion rights advocates say the pandemic has demonstrated the value of medical care provided virtually, including the privacy and convenience of abortions taking place in a woman's home, instead of a clinic. Abortion opponents, worried the method will become increasingly prevalent, are pushing legislation in several Republican-led states to restrict it and in some cases, ban providers from prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine.