Planned Parenthood Begins Offering Advance Abortion Pills at Clinics in Washington and Hawaii

Planned Parenthood clinics in Washington and Hawaii will now offer “just in case” abortion medication. The Washington and Hawaii clinics are the first Planned Parenthood organizations to provide the pills in advance of pregnancy. Colleen McNicholas, chief of clinical transformation and medical affairs for Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky, said the decision goes beyond opportunity.

“It’s more than just an opportunity. It really is an obligation,” she said. ” Rebecca Gibron, president and CEO of the same affiliate, said the service addresses time-sensitive needs in rural areas. “Needing an abortion is time-sensitive for patients,” she said.

The clinics will provide in-person and telehealth services to residents of Hawaii and Washington but will not remotely prescribe to patients in other states. Gibron said the organizations chose those two states because their laws support the model. “We are making this service available in Hawaii and Washington specifically because of the state laws that support this model of care,” she said.

Gibron, who was a Planned Parenthood patient as a teenager and is now a mother and grandmother from Idaho, said the organization’s name recognition will help patients learn about the option. “I think it’s super important for us to enter this space, because Planned Parenthood really is a household name, and we are trusted by millions of people across this country,” she said.

” Amy Merrill, co-founder of Plan C, said the announcement increases visibility for advance provision.

“It makes it more known, it makes it more normal, it destigmatizes it,” she said. Merrill added that the organizations have built trust over years and are positioned to support patients throughout the process. Forty-one states have banned or restricted abortion.