We are Fighting for a New Model of Care
Access to essential reproductive, sexual, and gender-affirming care regardless of zip code is a fundamental human right, a medical necessity, and a public health imperative.
Healthcare Across Borders is an unapologetic initiative to ensure everyone has access to the care they need. We are focused on speaking truth to power, deploying harm reduction strategies during times of crisis, and protecting providers who use telemedicine and other means to provide essential care within and across state borders.
Dangerous restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care fueled by right-wing extremists have created concurrent public health crises in the United States, making access to life-saving healthcare largely dependent on where someone lives.
In response, several states, such as California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington, have passed what are known as “shield laws.” These laws substantially protect the ecosystem of medical professionals and advocates who support people in need regardless of zip code.
Medical providers, for example, can use telemedicine to mail abortion pills to people in banned states quickly and cheaply, saving clients the costs of travel, childcare, or loss of work, while minimizing the exposure and risks that may come with travel. Similarly, people in desperate need of gender-affirming care can now use telemedicine to see a doctor in another state.