Abortion has always existed. Sometimes it was legal. Sometimes it was not. Sometimes – like today – it depends completely on where you live or where you can go. If something is legal in Illinois but not ten miles across the river in Missouri, how can that exist in a country that swears it was founded on the right to be free?
If you believe abortion is a human right, it belongs to every pregnant person regardless of their race, gender, age, documentation status, relationship status, parenting status, ability, location or financial means. If you believe that is true, then this is information for you to receive and share, because information is never criminal, and we will not allow our right to free speech to be taken away next.
Any person should be able to have an abortion if they are pregnant and no longer wish to be so. Full stop. NO PERSON SHOULD EVER BE FORCED TO RISK THEIR OWN LIFE TO GIVE BIRTH AGAINST THEIR WILL, and EVERY PREGNANCY PUTS THE PREGNANT PERSON’S LIFE AT RISK.
With that as the foundation, these are the tools.
(Note, all of this information and much, MUCH more is in my book, and it is currently legal to purchase. I recommend a paper copy in case e-copies are ever removed from e-readers)
Always have one dose of medication abortion in your possession in case of need (your need, or for someone you love). Medication abortion can be purchased through AidAccess.org if you live in a state where it is illegal. Purchase medication long before an unwanted pregnancy to minimize any potential problems with delivery times.
Do not share that you purchased this medication with ANY person unless you completely trust them to not say anything.
Do not send emails about this. Do not send text messages. Do not DM on any social media platform. Only go to the website if you are on a private browser. Only “speak” about a potential pregnancy termination to someone you completely trust, and even then only over encrypted apps like Signal, and with disappearing messages.
Should you chose to terminate a pregnancy or assist someone by using medication, the single pill of mifepristone is swallowed and then 24-48 hours later 4 tablets of misoprostal will be either stuck two in each cheek and left to dissolve for 30 minutes or will be inserted vaginally and left to dissolve. Vaginal pills would potentially leave behind residue however if a person is too nauseous to tuck pills in their cheeks it is an option. After 30 minutes the rest of the medication can be swallowed.
Unless a person is experiencing bleeding that soaks more than two pads an hour for two or more hours, the amount of bleeding is normal and there is no reason for concern. Unless there is a fever of more than 100 degrees there is no reason for concern.
If you begin to experience pain, especially on one side, and especially pain that radiates to the shoulder, either prior to or after the medication abortion process, go to a hospital to be checked for an ectopic pregnancy. It is unnecessary to tell them you took any medication.
Should you feel the need to get medical assistance from an emergency room for whatever reason, you are not obligated to state you took medication. There is no test that will show medication was taken, and an induced and spontaneous miscarriage have exactly the same symptoms. You had a miscarriage. How it started makes no difference.
Because of possible surveillance, legal issues, hospital crowding and costs, you may find it easier and safer to go to a reproductive health center than an Emergency Room. I have kept the vast majority of clinics in the database on this site as options for someone who is miscarrying. Those clinics that remain will be able to provide diagnostic follow-up to determine if miscarriage is complete, if it needs assistance because it is incomplete but no longer viable (miscarriage management) or if the medications were unsuccessful and the pregnancy is continuing. While clinics in banned states can no longer provide a termination, they can managed a miscarrying, non-viable pregnancy to its conclusion and provide introductory prenatal care and next steps for continuing pregnancies.
At this point, two states – Texas and Oklahoma – have stated that people can be fined for helping others obtain illegal abortions. Alabama has declared that even providing information to assist someone in obtaining a legal abortion in another states is a “criminal conspiracy.” Two states – Mississippi and South Carolina – have tried to pass laws that make providing information online about how to obtain abortion a felony (both so far have failed but that could change).
Get information now while you can. Online, or in print. Information should NEVER me illegal but that may not stop the far right for long….
