January 22, 2023 marks what will be the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the establishment of federal protections for abortion throughout the US. But now access to abortion varies among states and trigger bans have completely eliminated that right in parts of the Midwest and South. This means 20 million women lose access to legal abortions. While these changes mark a devastating moment in our nation’s history, we know that making abortion illegal will do nothing to stop the need for safe, accessible abortion care. Pregnant women will still seek abortions, no matter where they live. We also know, as a nation, we can do better.
carafem remains committed to meeting the needs of people seeking abortion care and will go further to explore every legal means necessary to ensure that people have access to abortion, where and when they need it — regardless of their income, zip code, religious belief, physical ability, or skin color. But that is no longer enough. The inequities and inadequacies in the way abortion care is provided in our country need to change. Now is the time.
While this isn’t where we thought we’d be on the 50th anniversary of Roe, we want to paint a picture of what the next 50 years of abortion care in America will look like, and how carafem can help entering the next age.
As the people of Kansas showed us in their recent state referendum, regardless of your political affiliation, most Americans support access to legal abortion care in our country. This is not a political issue, it is an issue of heart and mind. It will take a diverse group of allies working together on legislative, judicial, and political strategies to roll back federal protections for abortion in our country, and it could take decades. We believe that this is not only possible but inevitable.
While legislative avenues are being pursued, carafem is working on proactive strategies to help people get the abortions they need and want today. Over the next 50 years, carafem has a clear vision for the future of abortion care in the US. We predict that today’s political interference will actually serve to advance the massive improvements in abortion care that this tragic moment in time will accelerate:
- Faster: carafem is working hard to make same-day or instant testing a reality in all states we serve. This will help to eliminate unnecessary waiting and be more responsive to people seeking abortion care.
- Cheaper: carafem recently lowered the cost of medically assisted home abortion care to an average of less than $200. We also accept Medicaid and private insurance for abortion care in many states and work with local and national abortion fund groups to bring our clients the lowest cost possible. We believe in the future more abortion-supporting states will use state funds to pay for care for low-income people who need it. Medicaid coverage for abortion care is the new litmus test for states that truly support abortion access. This would eventually lead to Federal Access to funding for abortion through Medicaid.
- Widely Understood: From the moment a person realizes they may be pregnant, we see people all knowing exactly what their options are without doing extensive research. By creating engaging content on networks like TikTok and Instagram, carafem strives to make information about abortion care easier to understand, more accurate, and dare we say fun! In the future, we hope that finding an available abortion appointment will be as simple as finding an available hotel room in areas where people live and work.
- Easier: We believe in giving clients the option to choose the way they prefer to seek abortion care. From visiting their own private doctor to seeing an abortion care specialist for an abortion procedure, or having a video consultation or phone call to a home in pajamas and having pills delivered to their door. All these things are starting to become available now. carafem leads the way.
- More Fair: Today, some online care seems out of reach for many. carafem is working to create low-tech ways of accessing online care, such as making a consultation through a phone call or through private text messaging in 90+ different languages. Whether in a rural community far from a doctor’s office or in the urban neighborhoods of big cities, people deserve the ability to seek abortion care, in their own communities, and in a way that respects their preferences, values, and socioeconomic conditions.
- No stigma: Around the world, people have different views on abortion care and as it changes in every part of the world, carafem strives to bring an unapologetic, positive voice to the conversation, dispelling negative perceptions. on the road. As more and more people find their own voice, we hope that the concerted positive action of so many will move abortion from a quiet but urgent need to a fundamental health care freedom. When abortion can be provided in a way that fully meets the needs of the person seeking care, we begin to see people become more committed to ensuring that the same experience is available for the people they love, no matter where they live.
We cannot build a bright future without financial support from people like you. To make abortion care more accessible during an important time in our nation’s history, we invite you to make a donation today.
