"We believe all people should be able to choose if and when they have children. Legal abortion means nothing without access.”
As abortion providers across the U.S. brace for the upcoming Supreme Court case decision in
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi law that prohibited abortion after 15 weeks, any person with the capacity to get pregnant should familiarize themselves about telehealth abortion care.
If the court sides with Mississippi, its decision could overturn existing abortion rights set by the landmark Roe v. Wade case. Abortion care, whether it’s performed medically or surgically, needs to be safe, accessible, and affordable. Telehealth abortion care is the future of abortion.
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So you can better understand the basics of telehealth abortion care, Grant has shared a helpful glossary of terms:
The Abortion Pill AKA Medication Abortion is actually a combination of what is usually two kinds of pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) that are taken in sequence. In the U.S., these are most often used before 11 weeks of pregnancy. The first pill, mifepristone, blocks a hormone necessary for a pregnancy to continue to develop. The second pill, misoprostol, causes cramping and bleeding from the vagina that ends the pregnancy (similar to a miscarriage).
Self-Managed Abortion is putting the process of having an abortion back in the hands of the person who wants to have one, often outside of a medical setting. This is most commonly done using the abortion pill.
TelAbortion is another term for using telehealth, phone calls, or video visits to have an at-home abortion with pills.
Procedural/Surgical Abortion is an abortion typically performed inside a health center using gentle vacuum aspiration to remove the contents of the uterus.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) is the idea that people should be in control of their own bodies, have access to medically accurate information, and be able to decide if and when they have children.
Abortion Justice or Reproductive Justice is the idea that everyone has a human right to maintain bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and to parent children in safe and sustainable communities. It goes beyond just the right to abortion. It is a framework created by a group of black women who came together after realizing they needed to lead a national movement that uplifted the most marginalized in our society; black women, women of color, and trans people.
Radically-Accessible Abortion Care is a big part of carafem’s mission; to provide abortion care in a way that respects the individual needs of anyone requesting services, including when, where, and how they prefer it, all at a price they can afford.
Conclusion
All people need access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including comprehensive sex education, prenatal care, contraception, and abortion care. carafem is working to increase ways to access their services both in their health centers and online.
