Abortion
As a diverse feminist community of psychologists and allied professionals, the Association for Women in Psychology condemns the actions taken by the U.S. Supreme Court on 6.24.2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade.
This is a devastating loss of rights for people capable of pregnancy, including cisgender women and two-spirit, transgender, and nonbinary people with uteruses. As scholars, we know that not being able to access an abortion when one is needed has negative impacts to people's mental health and relational wellbeing. As mental health clinicians, we know that abortion stigma - which can lead to self-judgment, isolation, and secret-keeping - negatively impacts the mental health of people who have had abortions. We know that abortion stigma can be especially harmful when it is perpetuated by our institutions and government. As activists, we follow the wisdom and expertise of reproductive and abortion justice leaders - particularly Black, Native, and other leaders of color in these spaces - to take action.
You can stay up to date on the legality of abortion through the
Center for Reproductive Rights.All content contained on or available through this website is for general information purposes only. Special thanks to Nicole Lozano, Leisha Beardmore, Rachel L. Dyer, and Tiffany O'Shaughnessy for helping to compile these resources. Resources for Abortion Access
I Need An A: A simple website that asks for three pieces of information (age, location, and how far along a person is in pregnancy) to help find abortion access. The website stays up to date with laws in place, and will direct people to abortion clinics, with the goal of avoiding
crisis pregnancy centers.
Abortion Funds: Abortion funds are independent, grassroots organizations developed to support the specific needs of their communities. Abortion funds are the experts in overcoming obstacles people face when getting their abortions.
National Network of Abortion FundsAdditional FundsGet Involved with Your Local FundInformation about Medication Abortion: The "abortion pill" or "abortion with pills" is a modern option for ending an early pregnancy safely and effectively. It is also called "medication abortion." It uses two kinds of pills: mifepristone and misoprostol (or misoprostol only, if mifepristone is not available). The following websites provide information about the use of abortion pills:
Abortion On Our Own TermsPlan C: Plan C providers information about, and resources for, getting abortion pills for telemedicine or self-managed care.
Self-Managed Abortion; Safe & Supported: SASS is the U.S. project of Women Help Women, a global nonprofit organization that supports the rights of people around the world to have information about, and access to, safe abortion with pills. Information is power. We all deserve accurate information about our bodies and reproductive health.
Reprocare: Reprocare is a reproductive justice organization with the goal of supporting and normalizing abortion care at home.
Resources for Abortion Support
These resources can be shared for support through the decision-making process, or for post-abortion support.
Exhale Pro-Voice: Exhale Pro-Voice is an organization that supports the emotional health and wellbeing of people after their abortions, as well as their loved ones.
Miscarriage + Abortion Hotline: The M+A Hotline offers anonymous medical information and support from providers with experience in miscarriage and abortion care.
All-Options: All-Options (formerly Backline) uses direct service and social change strategies to promote unconditional, judgment-free support for people in all of their decisions, feelings, and experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion, and adoption.
Faith Aloud: Faith Aloud provides nonjudgmental spiritual counseling for people in all their decisions about pregnancy, parenting, abortion, and adoption.
Resources for Further Education
American Psychological Association Abortion Resources PageAmerican Psychological Association, Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. (2008).
Report of the Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. https://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/abortion/mental-health.pdfGrzanka, P. R. & Frantell, K. A. (2017). Counseling psychology and reproductive justice: A call to action.
The Counseling Psychologist, 45(3), 326-352.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017699871The Turnaway Study. (2020).
Introduction to the Turnaway Study. UCSF Medical Center.
https://www.ansirh.org/sites/default/files/turnawaystudyannotatedbibliography.pdfThe Turnaway Study. (2018).
The mental health impact of receiving vs. being denied a wanted abortion. UCSF Medical Center.
https://www.ansirh.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/mental_health_issue_brief_7-24-2018.pdfRocca, C. H., Samari, G., Foster, D. G., Gould, H., & Kimport, K. (2020). Emotions and decision rightness over five years following an abortion: An examination of decision difficulty and abortion stigma.
Social Science & Medicine, 248, 112704.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112704Cockrill, K., Herold, S., Blanchard, K., Grossman, D., Upadhyay, U., & Baum, S. (2013).
Addressing abortion stigma through service delivery: A white paper. Ibis Reproductive Health.
https://www.ibisreproductivehealth.org/sites/default/files/files/publications/Addressing%20abortion%20stigma%20through%20service%20delivery.pdfI'm Not Sorry: Read abortion stories from people who are not sorry about the choice they made.
Shout Your Abortion: Read stories about people's abortion experiences and write about your own at Shout Your Abortion.
Additional Important Organizations and Resources
SisterSong: "SisterSong is the largest national multi-ethnic Reproductive Justice collective. We are dedicated to growing and supporting the RJ movement, and to uplifting the voices and building the capacity of our movement sisters to win access to abortion and all other reproductive rights."
Repro Legal Helpline: If/When/How runs the Repro Legal Helpline to offer clear and direct information about legal rights regarding self-managed abortion.
National Advocates for Pregnant Women: National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) works to secure the human and civil rights, health, and welfare of all people, focusing particularly on pregnant and parenting women, and those who are most likely to be targeted for state control and punishment - low income women, women of color, and drug-using women.
Know Your Rights: Reproductive Health Care: A government website where a person can find information on the right to access care and have it covered by insurance or other health care coverage, where to go if a person doesn't have coverage, and how to get information if they don't know.