Volunteer-run mutual aid groups are quietly mailing free abortion pills across the U.S.—reaching tens of thousands of people shut out by cost, distance, privacy concerns and a shrinking clinical system, even in states where abortion remains legal.
“Every package we send out is a bullet fired at the patriarchy.”
—Anonymous
In response to abortion bans and restrictions, feminists across the country have created community groups that share abortion pills by mail, free of charge, with those who need them. Mostly run by volunteers, these mutual aid groups have mailed over 100,000 sets of pills since 2022 and now serve those living in over two thirds of all states as well as four U.S. territories.
“Everybody deserves bodily autonomy,” said one volunteer, who got involved out of rage after the Supreme Court revoked women’s constitutional right to abortion in 2022.
Increasingly decentralized and moving closer to the people they serve, these community providers are expanding their reach. While originally focused on states with bans and severe restrictions, they are now increasingly serving people in states where abortion is legal, but may not be affordable or accessible.
Five community providers are now verified and listed by Plan C and INeedAnA.
- Four are affiliated with Red State Access: AccessMA, MidWestAccess, IdahoAccess and ARTogether. These four networks now serve approximately 3500 people across 38 states and territories each month.
- The fifth listed community network is DASH.
There are also many other smaller community providers around the country doing similar work.
Red State Access-affiliated providers offer high-quality pills manufactured in India and mail them in discrete packages. Clients can choose between receiving them in foil blister packs or as loose, unidentifiable pills, depending on their security concerns and community provider stock.
Ms. spoke to volunteers working with two of these community providers—IdahoAccess and MidWestAccess—to learn more about how they operate and why they do this work. Together, these two organizations alone are mailing pills to over 1,000 people across 20 states each month.
IdahoAccess: “Everybody Deserves Bodily Autonomy”
With the fall of Roe, it just became apparent, it was so brazen, that [women] are seen as less than human.
IdahoAccess volunteer
Formed before Dobbs, IdahoAccess is a community-based service that provides support and access to safe abortion for all people who require it. All services are free for those who cannot afford other options. IdahoAccess does not provide medical consultations, and no prescription is needed.
IdahoAccess serves nine states, including Idaho, Arizona, Nebraska, North & South Dakota, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah. They serve roughly 400 to 500 people a month.
Abortion in Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona may be legal, but there are still barriers within the medical system, including cost, waiting periods and privacy concerns. Unlike medical providers, community providers do not require clients to fill out medical history forms or provide identification. Community providers offer additional privacy measures, including the option of mailing pills as loose without packaging, and deleting emails within 24 hours to maintain confidentiality. And the key difference is that medications are always free, no exceptions. No questions asked.
IdahoAccess volunteers emphasize that the fight does not end where abortion is legal.
“There is no equity in states that have legal abortion or telehealth,” said one IdahoAccess volunteer, expressing particular concern for people in rural areas. “There are still people who need help. If we are able to provide that help, then we will provide that help.”
IdahoAccess mails one mifepristone tablet and 12 misoprostol pills in a discrete mailer by priority mail, typically arriving within five to 10 days. They offer trained abortion doula support by phone, text or email. Clients also receive clear, detailed instructions on how to use the abortion pills.
IdahoAccess requests that people seeking abortion pills email idahoaccess@proton.me with their request, along with their name, mailing address and the date of the first day of their last menstrual period. For more secure communications, they recommend using a free account through Proton Mail, which offers an encrypted email service.
One volunteer described her deeply personal reason for joining the mission: “I grew up in a place that didn’t have a lot of resources. It was very rural. I’ve seen women be trapped in situations they didn’t want to be in. I’ve seen women stuck in situations that took away their ability to reach their full potential and to thrive, and that shouldn’t happen to anybody. With the fall of Roe, it just became apparent, it was so brazen, that we are seen as less than human.”
Another volunteer described the work as “anarchist calisthenics” to mail abortion pills to those in need. “Every package we send out is a bullet fired at the patriarchy.”
Drawing a parallel to the Irish rebellion against English rule, she said, “I feel connected to the resistance groups before us that nobody ever heard of, that no one knows existed. The people in every era that have resisted tyranny.”
IdahoAccess volunteers are preparing to ramp up their services in case the FDA’s bad-faith “safety review” results in new restrictions on abortion pills or lawsuits filed by Republican attorneys general succeed in restricting mifepristone. Regardless of what happens, the work will continue and their mission to help women who need abortion pills will move forward.
“Even in a perfect world, if abortion were legal tomorrow, we live under capitalism, so there’s always going to be barriers,” said the IdahoAccess volunteer. “So say it becomes legal, on demand for any reason in this country for every single person, there’s still barriers, so I’m still going to do this.”
MidWestAccess: “A Point of Hope Every Single Day”
Omg thank you so much! My son just turned 1 I can’t afford another baby right now I have to finish school first! Thank you sooooo much!
MidWestAccess client
I have 4 children I’m a single mom and really need this medicine I cannot afford anymore children.
MidWestAccess client
MidWestAccess is another volunteer-run network that connects people with information about community providers mailing abortion abortions. The group serves 11 states: Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania and now Montana, Maine, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Alaska. Approximately 700 people a month are finding providers through MidWestAccess, and their network is ready to expand if the FDA restricts access to mifepristone.
MidWestAccess recently expanded to Montana, Maine, the UP in Michigan and Alaska where abortion is legal, but still out of reach for many. “We received a grant specifically for rural areas in blue states. Those were the three states we’d been hearing there was a need,” said one volunteer. This work is also supported through a GoFundMe page.
About 80 percent of clients request the pills as loose, without packaging, because of confidentiality concerns, while 20 percent prefer the pills in blister packs to confirm the medication and the expiration date. Many use MidWestAccess because a medical provider is not available, or they want a more private, affordable way to obtain medications.
Early on, community networks were frequently asked whether the service was real. Now those doubts and skepticism have largely faded. “Word is out,” said one volunteer.
Being listed as a verified service on Plan C and INeedAnA has helped spread the word. What many people still do not realize is that Red State Access-affiliated providers do not impose any gestational or age limit. A doula is assigned to clients who are more than 14 weeks pregnant; before that, it’s optional.
One provider explained the urgency behind why she volunteers: “When I was in college, I could get an abortion. I could make mistakes. You can’t take control of a woman’s body away from her. It’s unconscionable.”
Please im only 17 I cant have a kid please help me
MidWestAccess client
At this stage of her life, the provider says this work is particularly meaningful. “As an old person, this is really stimulating. The women I’m in contact with are just utterly inspirational. I’ve lived my life in a really paternalistic society, but to come to this point, it seems like there are more women with time at the end of their working family life to learn from each other.”
She described the group as grounded in and emboldened by each other, a source of strength and purpose as the political climate worsens. “This is a group with a very strong moral compass, and with a lot more testosterone…we’re much louder. It really suits me. To just sit here and watch the world crumble is really hard on the psyche and this is a point of hope every single day.”
Look to these trusted groups if you or a loved one needs to know more about reliable abortion care:
- Safe websites to buy abortion medication: Aid Access, Plan C Pills, Abortion Finder, I Need An A
- If you need help affording abortion care, contact an abortion fund near you.
- To protect your digital privacy when planning your abortion, click here.
- For free legal help as a patient or doctor, call If/When/How’s Repro Helpline: 844-868-2812
- For medical advice, contact the Miscarriage & Abortion Hotline: 833-246-2632
- If you need to know the abortion law in your state, look to the Center for Reproductive Rights.
