This is a sample of what I got in the mail.
It just comes in a plain envelope.
Inside are these pills.
Elisa Wells is a public health specialist and the cofounder of PlanCPills.org.
We are an information campaign to spread awareness
about all of the different ways that they can be obtained in the United States
including in states that have restrictions to access.
For nearly 50 years, the US Supreme Court held that
Americans had a general right to abortion.
But individual states had power to decide how difficult
the path to getting one would be.
Over time, some states cleared the way
eventually even offering multiple routes like telehealth, in-clinic, and mail-order options.
Others made it much harder by adding obstacles like waiting periods, mandatory ultrasounds
counseling, and limiting abortions to extremely early in pregnancy.
Mississippi even forced doctors to mislead patients.
The worst one that really makes me crazy is that
we have to tell them that
it increases your risk of breast cancer and it doesn't.
Just a complete lie.
But in June of 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
and now states can ban abortion completely.
Many already have.
There are a few key differences between now and 50 years ago, though.
One of them is this path: The abortion pill.
Medication approved by the FDA to be delivered by mail and taken at home.
Safe, private, and effective.
Accessing the pills isn't easy for everyone
but there are multiple paths people are taking to get them.
Because even states with the most restrictive abortion laws
have had trouble stopping medication that’s discreetly shipped to your door.
[pensive cello music]
Medication abortion was approved for use in the US in 2000.
Today, it accounts for over half of legal abortions in the nation.
Any kind of serious side effect is less than 1%.
So very safe and very effective.
While it’s often called “the abortion pill”
it’s actually two medications
prescribed by a doctor to be taken within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy
though the World Health Organization says it’s safe to use up to 12 weeks.
In states where abortion is banned, it's now illegal for doctors
to prescribe these pills for that purpose.
But restricting or banning abortion doesn’t eliminate the need for it.
Whether something is legal or not doesn't necessarily affect
whether somebody makes a decision to do something.
It can affect what pathways they go to doing it.
So here are four of those paths that people are taking
to seek abortions as of July 2022.
A woman in northern Mississippi named Kate finds out she’s pregnant.
She already has 3 children and knows she can’t afford
to properly care for a fourth.
That's a common refrain.
Just wanting to do the best they can for the kids that they have.
I think we're likely going to see folks get care in other states.
Kate considers leaving Mississippi
and finding care in a state where abortion is legal.
The state of Mississippi could try to prosecute her if they find out
but it’s unlikely they’ll be successful.
States typically only have power to enforce laws within their own borders.
Unfortunately, the next closest option is Illinois, which is too far to travel.
So she explores other options.
She recently read an article about a woman who was able
to get abortion pills mailed her to using mail forwarding.
And the way that works is, you know, supposing you live in Arizona
which is another state that has restrictions on access
you could look at the map on our website that shows
the states nearby that offer a telehealth service.
And you could say, oh, California has a lot of telehealth services.
They're right next to me.
The provider in California is legally required to only serve patients in California.
I'm going to set up a virtual address in California.
She looks at PostScanMail.com to see if this is possible.
A virtual mailbox could allow her to have an appointment with an online provider
like HeyJane or Just the Pill.
You do a telehealth consultation with one of the groups that serves California.
And when they ask you for your mailing address, you put in your virtual mailing address
So far, this is Kate's best option.
Another way we know people are finding pills in the United States
is through online pharmacies and Plan C regularly tests these pharmacies.
These recommended online pharmacies often offer expedited shipping
but aren’t approved by the FDA and can be expensive.
Kate’s not sure she can come up with the money for that
so she looks into another online provider: this one isn’t located in the US.
In a condition where access is totally cut off, people will look for alternative ways
to access the pills.
And we do know that Aid Access will still be serving all 50 states.
Aid Access is run by a European doctor, offers a sliding payment scale, and support for people
who want to self-manage abortion.
They also allow pre-orders of the medication.
But shipping times can take up to 3 weeks from Europe.
Kate weighs her options, but knows all of them carry potential legal risks.
We don't think that people are doing anything wrong
when they access pills through these alternative sources.
But we do know that people have been criminalized for self-managing an abortion.
If anyone has questions about, you know, is it legal in my state, what can I do?
What are my risks for criminalization?
I encourage them to reach out to our repro legal helpline because that's exactly what
we're there for, where attorneys in a confidential conversation can talk to you
about what your legal risks are.
By the time you’re watching this, laws around each of these options may have already changed.
Kate decides the best path for her is mail forwarding
but others will choose the best route for their own circumstances.
Abortion with pills has really changed the landscape of how people can end their pregnancy
safely at home without the involvement of a clinic.
And the studies have shown that to be true.
It is safe, it is effective, and it's a way for you to get the care that you deserve
to have in the United States of America right now.
You know, you got to make the best decision for you.
You’ve got to consider your health.
You’ve got to consider your family.
You’ve got to consider your career.
You’ve got to consider your other kids.
That's all any of us can do.