Abortion How-To

Pregnant and need not to be? You have options—no matter where you live. Here’s what you need to know about how to find abortion options.

For help, please look to these trusted groups:

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.

Medical Records for Out-of-State Abortions Will Now Be Protected by HIPAA

Healthcare providers aren’t allowed to tell law enforcement about a patient’s abortion if they received the procedure in a state where it is legal, it is protected by federal law, or it is permitted by state law, the Biden administration said Monday. The rule will take effect in 30 days, and it represents a meaningful shift.

But it’s unclear whether it will protect medical data for people who self-manage their abortions by receiving medication in the mail, often from a prescribing physician in a state with laws protecting reproductive rights.

Your Top Questions on Abortion and Birth Control, Broken Down

Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of nonprofit Power to Decide and practicing OB-GYN, is dedicated to educating people on abortion and the healthcare options that come with it. #AskDrRaegan provides candid, judgment-free sexual health information to young people by meeting them where they are: on social media.

Check out TikTok users’ top questions on abortion and birth control, answered by Dr. Raegan.

Healthcare Across Borders: Funding Telemedicine Abortion for People in Abortion-Ban States

“You can get on the phone with a doctor, and get abortion pills by mail within a few days,” said Healthcare Across Borders (HCAB) founder Jodi Jacobson—even in states with abortion bans.

HCAB has launched a new Abortion Pill Sustainability Fund to support shield-state clinicians serving patients in states banning abortion. Abortion services are provided to people located in states banning abortion from the six states with telemedicine provider shield laws: Massachusetts, Washington, Colorado, Vermont, New York and California.

Abortion Funders in the Southeast Are ‘Helping People Decide What They Want to Do With Their Lives’

and

Abortion funds are local nonprofits that pay for someone’s abortion, plus extra costs, like transportation or lodging. Their role in the abortion access movement has increased since the fall of Roe. Ms. will feature interviews weeks with fund representatives across the U.S. Each installment will focus on a distinct region—beginning in the Southeast, where every single state in the region has implemented abortion restrictions.

“No human being should ever feel like, ‘Well, I’ve got to figure out what I want to do with this pregnancy by midnight tonight, or else.'” “I enter the work in rage. I am doing abortion access work in sheer rage and spite.”

No, It’s Not True that People in Abortion Ban States Have ‘No Options’

Too often, we hear stories of people unable to obtain the abortions they desperately want and need—like Ashley, a 13-year-old rape survivor in Clarksdale, Miss., who was forced to continue her pregnancy due to financial constraints.

Resources like the National Abortion Hotline and other abortion funds could have helped Ashley and her mother understand their options, plan their travel and even cover the costs of gas, food and a place to stay during the trip. But Ashley’s doctor isn’t to blame for the incorrect and insufficient information given to Ashley and her mother—anti-abortion lawmakers and extremists are.

Need a Safe, Private Abortion? Ask Charley.

On Tuesday, Sept. 12, reproductive health experts launched a new online chatbot named Charley to help abortion seekers in all 50 states find quick, accurate and confidential abortion information, tailored to their individual needs and circumstances.

Charley only asks for a user’s zip code and date of their last period to determine how far along they are in their pregnancy. Charley also makes referrals to medical and legal support services, as well as community support networks. Co-founded by former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and the former head of Planned Parenthood’s digital department Tom Subak, Charley launched in partnership with INeedAnA.com, Plan C and the Miscarriage + Abortion (M+A) Hotline.

“There’s a lot of fear and confusion out there about how abortion is available, especially in restricted states, and there are different resources out there. But there hasn’t been a single resource that includes all the information. Charley does that,” said Elisa Wells, co-director of Plan C. “Charley walks people through their options and then directs them to the resources that are available to help them find more specific information.”

U.S. Clinicians Can Now Mail Abortion Pills to States Banning Abortion, Thanks to Shield Laws in Five States

Telemedicine abortion provider shield laws have led to significantly quicker shipping times for people living in restrictive states—from several weeks to several days—which is critical for this time-sensitive medical care.

Between mid-June and mid-July, seven Aid Access clinicians located across these five states mailed pills to 3,500 people located in states banning abortion. “It shows what people want,” said Julie F. Kaye, co-founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine Access

Without Roe, Abortion Pills Are More Important Than Ever. We Must Remove Barriers.

and

Since the fall of Roe, at least 66 clinics have stopped providing abortion care. Many people have found essential care by purchasing abortion pills online and having them delivered by mail.

As we continue into the post-Roe future, we must address the inequalities that limit these innovations in states where telehealth is legal, but also in states where it is illegal.