Episode 2: How to get an abortion
Long before Roe was codified law in 1973 — when I was three — women did what women always do: they helped women terminate pregnancies that they didn’t want. No one really cared that women were making decisions about when to have babies until the Victorian period, when women were pretty much systematically stripped of their capacities as midwives and healers, leaving men to dictate and determine the morality and legality of women’s reproductive choices.
Here you go; After abortion was made a criminal offense at the close of the Victorian era, it would not become legal again until 1973, when the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling declared that all women had the right to terminate a pregnancy until the fetus was viable outside the womb. The decision came after years of legal, political, and religious advocacy on behalf of women and their reproductive health and rights. In the roughly 100 years when abortion was illegal in the United States, women suffered and died from botched abortions, with as many as 5,000 women dying every year in the decades leading up to the ruling. After Roe v. Wade, deaths and hospitalizations resulting from unsafe abortions effectively ended in this country. When abortion was legal in early America, it was considered at least as safe as delivering a child at term, and today abortion is considered an extremely safe procedure. But when a woman’s right to an abortion is restricted, the operation turns risky: Today approximately 68,000 women around the world die each year from unsafe abortions.
Alright, enough history. It’s all out there, if you want to read it — and you should; knowing what came before and how we got to this particular disaster is important in terms of understanding how to navigate it, argue against it, and take back control in whatever ways possible. So with this post, I’m here to tell you how to obtain an abortion in the clutch, this fucked up space in which we exist, where women’s bodily autonomy has been stripped from us.
Before we begin, though, here’s a soothing and happy video of a guy rescuing what he thought was one kitten but turned out to be 13.
1. First, what not to do:
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY — and I cannot stress this enough — DO NOT go to a “crisis pregnancy center.” Here are the details about why:
Crisis pregnancy centers (also called CPCs or fake clinics) are clinics or mobile vans that look like real health centers, but they have a shady, harmful agenda: to scare, shame, or pressure you out of getting an abortion, and to tell lies about abortion, birth control, and sexual health. Crisis pregnancy centers don’t provide abortion or offer a full range of health care, and they won’t give you honest facts about sexual health and your pregnancy options — their goal is to spread misinformation and propaganda.
In other words, crisis pregnancy centers pretend to be legitimate medical providers, but they work to deny women access to abortion and to scare and shame women into remaining pregnant. According to the American Medical Association's Journal of Ethics, such centers are legal but highly unethical in their mission:
Crisis pregnancy centers are organizations that seek to intercept women with unintended pregnancies who might be considering abortion. Their mission is to prevent abortions by persuading women that adoption or parenting is a better option. They strive to give the impression that they are clinical centers, offering legitimate medical services and advice, yet they are exempt from regulatory, licensure, and credentialing oversight that apply to health care facilities. Because the religious ideology of these centers’ owners and employees takes priority over the health and well-being of the women seeking care at these centers, women do not receive comprehensive, accurate, evidence-based clinical information about all available options. Although crisis pregnancy centers enjoy First Amendment rights protections, their propagation of misinformation should be regarded as an ethical violation that undermines women’s health.
Instead:
Go to Abortionfinder.org to find legitimate information about how to access an abortion in every state — and for information about what to do if you can’t access abortion in your state.
2. DIY abortions.
a. New York Magazine, May 23, 2022. The entire context of this issue is validating, helpful, and defiant. Check it out, especially this article about DIY abortions.
From the article: For decades, many community abortion providers have used manual vacuum aspirators (MVAs) safely and effectively, according to Sarah Prager, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington. The devices were designed as a way to empty the uterus outside of the clinic by non-clinicians, she says, and its design has evolved with each generation of community providers. While an MVA is a specific device that looks a bit like an oversize syringe, many devices function similarly — such as the Del-Em, which is an early model still in use, and is sometimes made with jars and tubing. The process, which lasts about ten minutes, creates a similar sensation to having an IUD placed, Prager says.
Over the past several years, there has been a proliferation of information online about how to manage your own abortion without the care of a medical provider. These resources are invaluable and empowering — but approach these readings with the knowledge that there are definite risks involved with these methods.
b. Natural Liberty: Rediscovering Self-Induced Abortion, Sage-Femme Collective, 2008 (revised edition)
In 2016, right after Trump was elected and I realized that Roe would be overturned (thanks to every bro who told me that I was overreacting), I bought this book. Here’s the description on Amazon: Natural Liberty is a detailed, well-documented guide for women and scholars — outlining the history, mythology, and methods of self-induced abortion, featuring: pharmaceutical drug abortion, menstrual extraction, forty plants used historically to induce abortion, homeopathy, acupuncture, massage, yoga, and more.
It’s an empowering text to own because of how much information it contains and how clear it is about the risks involved with DIY abortions. But more importantly, it’s an important text because women need this knowledge that has been systematically taken away from us over so many decades. Unfortunately, the book isn’t available for free online, but perhaps the copyright holders might consider making it more widely available.
Intermission. Here’s a video of soothing music and imagery:
3. The abortion pill (Plan C).
If you need the abortion pill, visit Aid Access. This website has very clear instructions about how to get abortion pills. I’ve ordered some — even though I’m going through menopause — because this organization will let you order pills even if you’re not pregnant so that you might have them on hand if you need them at some point. If you can order them in advance of needing them, please do; if you don’t need them, someone you know might. The service (if you’re in the US) will cost about $110. Another resource is plancpills.org, which vets online pharmacies that ship abortion pills to determine which are legitimate — and they post those links with cost and time of delivery. These pharmacies do not require a prescription or a consultation, but they do tend to cost more than the services offered by Aid Access.
That said, if these services are more than you can afford, check out ways to access funds to help you pay. Check out WRRP, which is a fund designed to help women pay for abortions.Finally, there are companies that will cover the costs for women having to travel to get an abortion. Here’s a list, which might be outdated at this point. If you work for a company that is willing to help you, reach out. But be careful.
The eyes are everywhere.
Reminder:
Next blog: how to donate money and further help those in need. Remember: rich white women will always get abortions, regardless of the legality of doing so. Vote for all women when you vote; even if you can still easily access abortion, vote like you can’t. Practice empathy.