All About Abortion
The accessabilty and availability of abortion in the United States is rapidly changing. The information below is the general process for obtaining an abortion, however your experience may vary based on where you live, how old you are, and how far along you are. For up to date information on your nearest clinic, visit our friends at INeedAnA.com.
How to get an abortion
Abortion is legal, but access doesn’t look the same for everyone. In fact, it can often vary depending on your age, where you live, or how much money you have. Luckily, there are organizations that make navigating reliable information and resources a lot easier, which is helpful since misinformation and negative messaging are often spread by anti-abortion activists. If you think you’re pregnant or know you want an abortion, here’s what you should do.
Take a test
If you think you might be pregnant, taking a pregnancy test is a helpful first step. You can purchase pregnancy tests from your local pharmacy, grocery store, or dollar store — pregnancy tests from the dollar store work just as well as more expensive tests! Your local health department or abortion clinic might also offer free pregnancy testing. Be careful though—some clinics offering free tests are actually anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.
Think about your options.
When you’re pregnant, you can do one of two things: continue the pregnancy or not. If you choose to continue the pregnancy, you have two options: parenting or seeking adoption. If you choose to not continue the pregnancy, then your option is abortion. If you’re not sure about what you’d like to do and want to discuss your options with an unbiased, supportive person, you can contact All-Options, an organization that provides emotional support to people in all pregnancy outcomes or you can speak with a counselor at an abortion clinic. They’ll all support you no matter what.
Find care.
Once you’ve confirmed your pregnancy, and if you’ve made the decision to have an abortion, you can locate your closest abortion clinic via INeedAnA.com.
Wherever you decide to go, make sure they actually confirm on the phone or on their website that they actually provide abortions—some anti-abortion clinics pretend they do just to get you to waste time and go to their clinic to hear their misinformation. Unfortunately, because of anti-abortion restrictions, your nearest clinic might be in another state or across your state. Don’t be discouraged.
There are organizations that will help you get there. Check out Abortion Finder, Abortion Care Network, National Abortion Federation, and Planned Parenthood for specific clinics.
Some states allow the use of telemedicine for abortion — which doesn’t involve visiting a healthcare center but is dependent on your state’s law— so you may be able to contact organizations like Abortion On Demand, Just The Pill, My Choix, TelAbortion, Hey Jane, Carafem, and others. If you’re visiting an abortion provider in person, availability may be limited at certain times, but you can call about cancellations and call other clinics nearby.
Paying for your abortion.
Cost
The cost of an abortion can range from $200 to over $15,000 depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, the method, and where you live, and how far you have to travel. You can expect to pay an average of $500 for your procedure if you’re within the first trimester, plus whatever travel costs you incur to get to the clinic.
Because of anti-abortion restrictions and stigma, not everyone can use their health insurance to pay for their abortions. If you have private or state insurance, you may be able to use it for some or all of the costs depending on where you live.
Insurance
Check your insurance policy to see if it covers ‘outpatient pregnancy termination’ or some similar language. A federal policy called the Hyde Amendment currently bans health insurance programs like Medicaid or other states’ public health insurance programs from covering abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment. Some of these cases require you to file a police report or other paperwork. In some states, their state Medicaid insurance pays for abortions. Ask the clinic when you make your appointment and they can help you.
Funding Assistance
If you can’t afford your procedure or don’t live close to an abortion clinic, there are organizations that can help you. Your local abortion fund—an organization that helps people pay for a portion of their abortions and get to the clinic—can assist. You can also ask your clinic to screen you for financial assistance, offer a discount, or call the National Abortion Federation for help.
Abortion should an accessible, affordable, and supportive experience for everyone, but because it’s not, these organizations try to bridge the gap between what you have and what you need.
“I want people seeking abortion care to know that they are supported and loved by a community larger than they could ever imagine. Millions of people across this country have had abortions—people of different genders, people of different sexual orientations, different races, different ethnic backgrounds, different religions.
There’s a community that is there for you and supports your right to choose.”
— We Testify storyteller Nick
Navigating Parental
Notification & Consent Laws
If you’re under 18, the process of getting an abortion can look a little different because 37 states require parental consent or notification. Parental consent means one or both of your parents (or a legal guardian) have to consent to your abortion, and parental notification means they must be notified prior to the abortion. Most young people do involve their parents in a decision like this, but the ones who don’t always have a good reason, and it’s often related to their safety and well-being. The exception to this requirement is if you’re married, emancipated, or obtain a judicial bypass, or permission from a judge to have an abortion, instead. The process to get a judicial bypass is free, but very complicated and requires going through a court process that may take between 1-3 weeks long.
Organizations like If/When/How, the ACLU, and Jane’s Due Process, and other local organizations can help you learn how to get started. Call your local abortion fund or clinic and they’ll get you connected with the right people.