M+A Hotline: This free, confidential, and secure phone and text hotline staffed by doctors with years of experience caring for miscarriage and abortion. For expert advice on self-managing a miscarriage or abortion, call or text 1-833-246-2632 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in all U.S. continental time zones and they will respond within an hour.
Self-managed abortion (SMA) broadly refers to non-clinical abortion, or abortion that happens outside of the formal healthcare system and without the involvement of a medical professional. SMA is not a “back alley” or “DIY” abortion. It’s an abortion that happens most commonly in someone’s home, done in privacy and safety, often with the help of a friend, family member, or caregiver.
Misoprostol (alone or in combination with mifepristone) is a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks and has been used successfully by people all over the world without a clinician. Misoprostol and mifepristone are legal in the U.S. and are regularly prescribed by health care providers for abortion care; however, getting the pills online or through other non-clinical sources may have legal consequences.
The following resources provide information to people to help them safeguard their health and understand legal risks; the following organizations are well-vetted sources of information for those seeking to end an early pregnancy outside of a clinic setting.
Self-Managed Abortion; Safe and Supported (SASS): The U.S. project of Women Help Women that provides health information about self-managed abortion with pills. This support service provides information and one-on-one support for those in the U.S. looking to end their own pregnancies. SASS can connect pregnant people with experienced counselors—who are directly advised by OB-GYNs and experts on medication abortion—and can help them decide whether they’re a good candidate for self-managed abortion and other medical referrals. Email [email protected].
Plan C Pills: In 2017, Plan C ordered abortion pills from 14 websites without a prescription and tested the pills they received. Plan C’s website lists these results in a “report card,” which rates the reliability of the medication purchased on various websites, including information about pricing, shipping times, and amounts of active ingredients in the drugs received.
Aid Access: Information and consultation for receiving medication abortion by mail.
Women on Web: Founded in 2005, Women on Web is a team of medical doctors, researchers, activists, and help desk members working to provide safe, accessible, and affordable abortion care to people around the world. Consultations can be made on their website to receive pills through the mail. Email [email protected].
Reprocare Healthline: Provides emotional support and information for people planning or having an abortion at home. Calling is anonymous, secure, and private. Call 1-833-226-7821 from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. PST, 7 days a week.
Articles that share resources about self-managed abortions, including where to get them, the side effects of consumption, and legal concerns in specific states:
- Abortion on Our Own Terms: ‘Supreme Court Justices Can’t Put Abortion Pills Back in the Bottle’
- Now is The Time to “Aid and Abet” Abortion
- Self-Managed Abortions with Pills
- Video: The New Abortion Strategies
- Jewish Currents: How to give yourself an abortion with pills
- Organizers Plan for Post-Roe Mississippi With Self-Managed Abortion Education
- Stories of Self-Managed Abortions