Abortion Pill Sustainability Fund
Abortion pills are safe, effective, relatively inexpensive, and can be self-managed privately.
In a country where healthcare was made available based on need and medical evidence, abortion pills–the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol most effective for first trimester abortion–would be sold over the counter as they are in many other countries. But that’s not our reality.
For decades, right-wing extremists have attacked essential reproductive and sexual healthcare of every kind, including, of course, abortion. These same groups have now set their sights on banning medication abortion—even as trust in and use of this method is skyrocketing, especially in states where access to care is limited or non-existent.
As of January 2025, 12 states have imposed total abortion bans. Four other states have six-week bans, and three more have imposed 12 and 18-week bans that make it exceedingly difficult for patients to get care when things go wrong later in pregnancy.
Today people can get abortion pills directly—online and through local and reproductive justice groups–and depending on where they live, at clinics. Another avenue for care is telemedicine, through which clinicians see clients remotely, and mail them pills. Telemedicine abortion has expanded rapidly and is a particular lifeline to those in states with bans.
Clinicians using telemedicine face skyrocketing demand. Shield laws in states like California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington substantially protect clinicians who mail pills to people in banned states. Nonetheless these clinicians now face higher risks under a second Trump administration.
This form of self-managed abortion care is not only very safe, but far less expensive than clinic-based care in the first trimester. Because of this, these providers now serve thousands of clients per month, with demand increasing every day.
Roughly one-fifth of all clients seen each month are unable to pay the full $150.00 cost of telemedicine abortion care, thankfully shield law providers have a deep commitment to providing care without delay even to people who can’t afford to pay the full amount. In these cases, clinicians donate the care. As a result, they are losing money–an average of $68.00 on each transaction. This is not sustainable.
HCAB reimburses clinicians for a portion of their losses. In 2024, we were able to reimburse providers just under $600,000 on millions of dollars in losses. We will continue reimbursing providers each month but must raise funds to increase their reimbursements as well as to encourage others to join their ranks.
The work of these clinicians is more urgent and more risky than ever, and we expect the Trump administration to challenge remaining legal protections and make access to medication abortion more difficult. Your contributions will help sustain and expand this network of care into banned states into the future.