Plan C

Last updated
Plan C
Formation2015
Founders
Typenon-profit organization
Website www.plancpills.org

Plan C is a non-profit organization and campaign that provides educational resources and information to increase access to medication abortion (abortion with pills) in the United States. [1] [2] It was founded in 2015 by Francine Coeytaux, Elisa Wells, and Amy Merrill as a project under the fiscal sponsorship of the National Women's Health Network. [3]

Contents

Objectives

Plan C works towards expanding access to medication abortion through the distribution of mifepristone and misoprostol at-home abortion pills ordered from the internet and delivered through the mail. [4] Their states goal is to transform access to abortion in the United States by normalizing the self-directed option of abortion pills by mail and placing the ability to end an early pregnancy directly in the hands of anyone who seeks it. [5]

Actions

Plan C works in 4 ways.

  1. They conduct research and share information regarding how people are accessing abortion pills in the United States.
  2. They work with health care providers, reproductive health organizations, and technology innovators to establish relationships and connect individuals.
  3. They work to destigmatize and normalize self-managed abortion and call for universal access to abortion pills.
  4. They advocate for over-the-counter access to abortion pills. [5]

History

1990's

During the 1990s, Elisa Wells and Francine Coeytaux were part of the team that successfully managed to get Plan B, or the morning after pill, approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sale. [5] [6]

2016

In 2016, as the U.S. Presidential administration turned over, Plan C launched their website to share information about online abortion pill providers and the self-managed abortion process. The Plan C team began researching websites calling themselves online pharmacies and claiming to sell abortion pills, tested the pills received by mail from those websites, and published their findings as the Plan C Report Card. [5] [7]

2018

In 2018, Plan C played a significant role in the launch of the CHAT study (California Home Abortion by Telehealth) in which researchers at the University of California, San Francisco conducted a study to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of individuals who utilize virtual clinics that serve patients throughout the United States. [8] This study was a crucial step towards not only normalizing telehealth services and online access to pills but also in documenting and researching their effectiveness and safety, and validating them as a viable option for individuals seeking reproductive healthcare. [8]

2019

As of 2019, there were dozens of websites selling abortion pills and the Plan C website was receiving over 50,000 visitors per month from individuals across all 50 states in search of information on abortion pill access and reproductive rights. [4] [9]

2020

In April 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community expedited the adoption of "no-test" protocols, which facilitated online abortion care, telehealth start-ups, and more clinics serving patients online. [10] As certain states deemed abortions nonessential medicine, and the majority of the country was subjected to "safer at home" orders restricting access to basic medical care, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) temporarily lifted restrictions on shipping mifepristone. [11] During this time, Plan C issued a "call to providers" to inform the medical community of the growing need and the opportunity to serve patients by offering telehealth abortion services. [12] Several providers launched startups, including Abortion on Demand, Choix, Hey Jane, among others. [12]

2022

In 2022, Plan C expanded their online resource directory to include organizations that offer the advance provision of abortion pills, a service that creates the option to order abortion pills in advance so they will be available if they are needed at some point in the future. Organizations listed by Plan C that offer the advance provision service include Aid Access and Forward Midwifery. [13] [14]

2023

With the Dobbs decision and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Plan C has responded by increasing the information they make available regarding alternate ways to access abortion pills and resources to help people safely self-manage their own abortions at home. [5]

Plan C documentary

The Plan C organization was the subject of a documentary film of the same name, Plan C , which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2023. [15] The film focuses on Plan C's ongoing grassroots efforts to expand access to abortion across the United States via the distribution of at-home abortion pills ordered from the internet and delivered through the mail. [15] [16] [17]

Related Research Articles

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of all pregnancies. When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy, it is called an induced abortion, or less frequently "induced miscarriage". The unmodified word abortion generally refers to an induced abortion. The reasons why women have abortions are diverse and vary across the world. Reasons include maternal health, an inability to afford a child, domestic violence, lack of support, feeling they are too young, wishing to complete education or advance a career, and not being able or willing to raise a child conceived as a result of rape or incest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mifepristone</span> Medication

Mifepristone, also known as RU-486, is a medication typically used in combination with misoprostol to bring about a medical abortion during pregnancy and manage early miscarriage. This combination is 97% effective during the first 63 days of pregnancy. It is also effective in the second trimester of pregnancy. It is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion in the United States</span> Termination of a pregnancy in the United States

The United States is a global outlier among developed countries on the issue of abortion, with the subject being divisible in American politics and culture wars to an extent not found elsewhere. There are widely different abortion laws depending on state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misoprostol</span> Medication to induce abortion and treat ulcers

Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin medication used to prevent and treat stomach and duodenal ulcers, induce labor, cause an abortion, and treat postpartum bleeding due to poor contraction of the uterus. It is taken by mouth when used to prevent gastric ulcers in people taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). For abortions it is used by itself or in conjunction with mifepristone or methotrexate. By itself, effectiveness for abortion is between 66% and 90%. For labor induction or abortion, it is taken by mouth, dissolved in the mouth, or placed in the vagina. For postpartum bleeding it may also be used rectally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telehealth</span> Health care by telecommunication

Telehealth is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies. It allows long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, education, intervention, monitoring, and remote admissions. Telemedicine is sometimes used as a synonym, or is used in a more limited sense to describe remote clinical services, such as diagnosis and monitoring. When rural settings, lack of transport, a lack of mobility, conditions due to outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, decreased funding, or a lack of staff restrict access to care, telehealth may bridge the gap as well as provide distance-learning; meetings, supervision, and presentations between practitioners; online information and health data management and healthcare system integration. Telehealth could include two clinicians discussing a case over video conference; a robotic surgery occurring through remote access; physical therapy done via digital monitoring instruments, live feed and application combinations; tests being forwarded between facilities for interpretation by a higher specialist; home monitoring through continuous sending of patient health data; client to practitioner online conference; or even videophone interpretation during a consult.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-induced abortion</span> Abortion performed by a pregnant person themselves outside the recognized medical system

A self-induced abortion is an abortion performed by the pregnant woman herself, or with the help of other, non-medical assistance. Although the term includes abortions induced outside of a clinical setting with legal, sometimes over-the-counter medication, it also refers to efforts to terminate a pregnancy through alternative, potentially more dangerous methods. Such practices may present a threat to the health of women.

MSI Reproductive Choices, named Marie Stopes International until November 2020, is an international non-governmental organisation providing contraception and safe abortion services in 37 countries around the world. MSI Reproductive Choices as an organisation lobbies in favour of access to abortion, and provides a variety of sexual and reproductive healthcare services including advice, vasectomies, and abortions in the UK and other countries where it is legal to do so. It is based in London and is a registered charity under English law.

This is a timeline of reproductive rights legislation, a chronological list of laws and legal decisions affecting human reproductive rights. Reproductive rights are a sub-set of human rights pertaining to issues of reproduction and reproductive health. These rights may include some or all of the following: the right to legal or safe abortion, the right to birth control, the right to access quality reproductive healthcare, and the right to education and access in order to make reproductive choices free from coercion, discrimination, and violence. Reproductive rights may also include the right to receive education about contraception and sexually transmitted infections, and freedom from coerced sterilization, abortion, and contraception, and protection from practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women on Web</span> Canadian online abortion help service

Women on Web (WoW) is a Canadian non-profit organization that aims to increase access to safe abortion known for its online abortion service accessible in multiple countries. The organization was founded by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch physician, in 2005.

Abortion in China is legal throughout pregnancy and generally accessible nationwide. Abortions are available to most women through China's family planning programme, public hospitals, private hospitals, and clinics nationwide. China was one of the first developing countries to permit abortion when the mother’s health was at risk and make it easily accessible under these circumstances in the 1950s. Following the Chinese Communist Revolution and the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has periodically switched between more restrictive abortion policies to more liberal abortion policies and reversals. Abortion regulations may vary depending on the rules of the province. In an effort to curb sex-selective abortion, Jiangxi and Guizhou restrict non-medically necessary abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy, while throughout most of China elective abortions are legal after 14 weeks. Although sex-selective abortions are illegal nationwide, they were previously commonplace, leading to a sex-ratio imbalance in China which still exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birth control in the United States</span> History of birth control in the United States

Birth control in the United States is available in many forms. Some of the forms available at drugstores and some retail stores are male condoms, female condoms, sponges, spermicides, and over-the-counter emergency contraception. Forms available at pharmacies with a doctor's prescription or at doctor's offices are oral contraceptive pills, patches, vaginal rings, diaphragms, shots/injections, cervical caps, implantable rods, and intrauterine devices (IUDs). Sterilization procedures, including tubal ligations and vasectomies, are also performed.

A medical abortion, also known as medication abortion, occurs when drugs (medication) are used to bring about an abortion. Medical abortions are an alternative to surgical abortions such as vacuum aspiration or dilation and curettage. Medical abortions are more common than surgical abortions in most places, including Europe, India, China, and the United States.

Francine Coeytaux, founder of the Pacific Institute for Women's Health, is an American-based French public health specialist and abortion rights activist who has developed and evaluated family planning and reproductive health programs. She is known for her work on comprehensive reproductive health services, abortion and new reproductive technologies. She was an Associate at the Population Council in New York City where she started an international program to address the problem of unsafe abortion, collaborated on the public introduction of Norplant and RU 486, and helped develop reproductive health activities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

carafem

Carafem is an American nonprofit organization that provides women’s reproductive health services with centers in Maryland, Atlanta Georgia, Chicago Illinois, and Nashville TN metro areas as well as virtual care in select states. The organization seeks to normalize, "de-medicalize" and remove the social stigma from the provision of birth control and early abortions in the midst of an ongoing polarized and politicized debate on abortion in the United States. The organization intentionally uses certain language such as “health center” instead of “clinic”, and openly uses the word “abortion” in its advertising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aid Access</span> Abortion services provider

Aid Access is a nonprofit organization that provides access to medication abortion by mail to the United States and worldwide. It describes its work as a harm reduction strategy designed to provide safe access to mifepristone and misoprostol for those able to become pregnant in the United States who may not otherwise have access to abortion or miscarriage management services. People are able to manage their own abortion with remote access to a physician and a help-desk for any questions. The website is available in English, Spanish, and Dutch.

As of 2023, Abortion is currently illegal in Indiana, with exceptions for fatal fetal abnormalities, to preserve the life and physical health of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest. Previously abortion in Indiana was legal up to 20 weeks; a near-total ban that was scheduled to take effect on August 1 was placed on hold due to further legal challenges, but is set to take place, after the Indiana Supreme Court denied an appeal by the ACLU, and once it certifies a previous ruling, that an abortion ban doesn't violate the state constitution. In the wake of the 2022 Dobbs Supreme Court ruling, abortion in Indiana remained legal despite Indiana lawmakers voting in favor of a near-total abortion ban on August 5, 2022. Governor Eric Holcomb signed this bill into law the same day. The new law became effective on September 15, 2022. But on September 22, 2022, Special Judge Kelsey B. Hanlon of the Monroe County Circuit Court granted a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the ban. Her ruling allows the state's previous abortion law, which allows abortions up to 20 weeks after fertilization with exceptions for rape and incest, to remain in effect.

Abortion in Malaysia is generally legal to save the life of the mother or in cases where their physical or mental health is at risk, for the first 120 days of gestation, as regulated under Sections 312–316 of the Penal Code. However, specific legislation varies by state. Access to abortion in Malaysia has been hampered by religious, cultural and social stigmas against abortion, poor awareness of abortion legislation among health professionals and the high cost of abortion services in the private health sector. As a result, risky unsafe abortions are prevalent in Malaysia.

<i>Plan C</i> (film) 2023 American documentary film

Plan C is a 2023 American documentary film produced and directed by Tracy Droz Tragos. The film centers around ongoing grassroots efforts to provide access to abortion across the United States through the distribution of abortion pills in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

<i>Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA</i> Court case challenging the legality of medication abortion in the U.S.

Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, No. 2:22-cv-00223-Z, is a court case brought in the Amarillo Division of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas to challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone, a drug frequently used in medical abortion procedures. The plaintiffs, led by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM), argue that the FDA did not properly approve the use of the drug mifepristone for pregnancy termination under Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act regulations and ask for an injunction to withdraw the drug's approval, thus removing it from the market.

Mayday Health is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that educates on medication abortion and how to access it in the United States. It was founded in 2022 in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) court decision that limited access to abortion in many U.S. states. Mayday educates on self-managed abortion and does not sell or distribute the abortion pill. Mayday was founded after the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The organization launched on the day of the Dobbs decision.

References

  1. ↑ "PLAN C: Learn to access at-home abortion pill options online". Plan C.
  2. ↑ Adams, Patrick (27 April 2017). "Spreading Plan C to End Pregnancy". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Tzortzis, Andreas (5 April 2018). "Profile: Francine Coeytaux". Ageist.
  4. 1 2 Khazan, Olga (12 October 2021). "The Abortion Backup Plan No One Is Talking About". The Atlantic.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Us". Plan C. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  6. ↑ "FROM SECRET TO SHELF: How collaboration is bringing emergency contraception to women" (PDF). Pacific Institute for Women’s Health. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Plan C Report Card for online abortion pill suppliers" (PDF). CNN. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Collins, Lauren (July 5, 2022). "The Complicated Life of the Abortion Pill: A French doctor's invention and post-Roe America". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  9. ↑ Baker, Carrie N. (June 3, 2022). "Funding Abortion Pills By Mail: 'Abortions Don't Wait'". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  10. ↑ Smith, Pam Belluck; Mitch (April 18, 2020). "How Abortion Is Being Pushed to the Margins Amid the Pandemic". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  11. ↑ Murphy Winter, Hannah (May 7, 2022). "Inside the Fight to Make Abortions-by-Mail Possible — No Matter Which State You Live In". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Leonard, Ben (May 11, 2022). "A scramble for telemedicine abortion". Politico. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  13. ↑ Cohen, Rachel (June 22, 2022). "Should you keep abortion pills at home, just in case?". Vox. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ "How to Get Abortion Pills Online by Mail". Plan C. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Oller, Jacob (January 23, 2023). "Abortion Pill Documentary Plan C Is an Affecting, Overwhelming Political Maelstrom". Paste . Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  16. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (January 19, 2023). "How 'Plan C' Director Tracy Droz Tragos Plans to Make Noise About Abortion Access at Sundance Film Festival". Variety . Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  17. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (January 27, 2023). "'Plan C' Review: Sensitive Doc Depicts Warriors for a Women's Right to Choose". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 31, 2023.
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