Prepping for self-managed abortion post-Roe v. Wade

MariaC - October 11, 2020

Scenarios

In the event that Roe v. Wade is repealed in the U.S., access to abortion will fall to the state level to legislate. Many people with uteruses will very quickly have a much more difficult time accessing healthcare that allows them to end a pregnancy.

Therefore, pro-choice preppers who want to understand self-managed abortion care may be interested in learning how to gather materials, build local community networks of support, and access information about how to perform different kinds of as-safe-as-possible self-managed abortions for people with uteruses in your community.

I’ve been doing a little research about this and wanted to share what I found.

This is obviously a topic that can get super politically charged. I’m not interested in having those conversations. If this prep isn’t something you’re okay with for any reason, you don’t have to do it. I’m sharing information in case somebody else can benefit from it.

Books:

• Handbook on a Post-Roe America by Robin Marty
• Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Christiane Northrup M.D.
• A Cooperative Method of Natural Birth Control by Margaret Nofziger

Websites & articles for information:

• An academic journal article (no paywall) detailing how to purchase safe, effective abortion pills online as a U.S. based consumer, including a chemical composition study of what was actually in those pills
• Women on Waves, providing information about the safety of abortion pills and on how to access self-managed abortion
• How Activists Can Prepare for a Post-Roe World video lecture on how to spread the word about self-managed abortion within your community
• Self-Managed Abortion with Pills how-to video lecture & information
• Investigative journalism article from 2018 on networks of people learning to provide at-home abortion services as a form of civil disobedience — full of great information and search terms to mine in Google
• Guide to performing a menstrual extraction with a homemade Del-Em device
• r/Childfree sourcing information about healthcare providers who will provide seterilization services in the U.S. and many parts of the world
• An overview of abortion laws by U.S. state, to help forecast which states might protect access to abortion if Roe v. Wade was repealed

Affordable Plan B and pregnancy tests to add to your prep kits:

• My Way Emergency Contraceptive (3 Plan B pills for $15 USD on Amazon)
• Pregnancy test strips (50 count for $15, $0.30 each, on Amazon)

21  

To get ahead of any drama: We decided to allow this post because it’s a valid topic for people to want to know “how might you handle an abortion without access to proper healthcare?” 

This is not the place to discuss the ethics of abortion or the current political mess. If you find it distasteful, then don’t read it.

@chasesfireflies thank you for putting together a thoughtful post. I edited one of the sentences to make it clearer you’re not prescribing medical advice etc.

 

I could see medical tourism becoming an option in this scenario as well. When all else fails, people with the resources will vote with their feet.

On that note, if one is concerned about lack of access to a medical procedure- or the high cost of U.S. medical care- then keeping a current passport can be a worthwhile prep. Medical tourism isn’t all roses, but it’s another option in an era where health insurance in the U.S. can seem like a game of Russian roulette, with the gun aimed at your bank account.

Edit: spelling

 

@chasesfireflies

Thanks so much for this post. I’ve never been happier to be past menopause than right now, but I’m so glad that you’ve put this together for those who might need it.

 

I am a huge proponent of bodily autonomy and since this site is focused on prepareness; and because we’ve collectively discussed all manner of how to care for yourself in a shtf situation, this is just as critical for survival as treating gunshots, suturing wounds, setting broken bones and the like.

 

I absolutely agree that this is a great post.  This kind of info will be important without the apocalypse so I’m screenshotting the whole thing and am going to make a folder on my computer with your hyperlinks.  And if people are really worried about an apocalyptic SHTF scenario (I’m not, but many here are) then they need to know about birth control and childbirth.  My prediction is there would be more childbirths than gunshot wounds.  I’m also happy to be too old to have to prep myself for it. 

 

Posting because I know someone who became quite ill from pennyroyal but stopped taking it soon enough to not have lasting effects. https://www.poison.org/articles/2016-mar/pennyroyal-oil and https://www.verywellhealth.com/pennyroyal-4692435. Also https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071652/

 

With abortion laws still in the news, I’ve decided to revive this post as it might be helpful for some folks. Please keep the conversation on topic (i.e. preparedness for a situation where safe access to healthcare is not available). If you are offended by this, please move on.

 

I would just point out that the UK has to help hundreds of girls every year from places like Ireland where terminations are almost impossible to get. I have read of a few cases in Ireland where girls have died because of complications who would still be alive if terminations were permitted. Equally some girls from other foreign countries come to the UK at their own expense because of political or religious dogma prohibits from being able to get the neccessary medical care.

So equally many people in a disaster or PA situation may need to look further than the borders of their own state or country to obtain medicines or life saving procedures. Even many FIRST world nations are not always the best places to find the help you need.  Cannabis oil is supposed to be available in the UK for children with epilepsy ,but most MDs point blank refuse to issue scripts, this forces parents to have to smuggle the oil in from other countries.

I would humbly and very respectfully suggest that if possible and affordable its probably better and safer to seek a termination in another safe modern country than risk great personal harm with back street abortions.

 

Very valid point, Bill. I think the key here is “if possible and affordable”.

As both you and Feisty Penguin pointed out, medical tourism could be an option for those who can avail of that. There are also so-called ‘abortion boats’, such as Women on Waves, that provide safe abortion as well as contraception to women who don’t have access to it.

 

Many survivalists and preppers are of the opinion or believe that we should never surrender rights or liberties to the State or Government, not in a disaster and certainly never in normal times.  The last thing we should do is become just another number in a FEMA refugee camp in return for a meal or a bandage. We must never let the state split up a family in its camps or under its care. Many of you chaps also state they would walk away from a rescue center before surrendering their guns OR accepting invasive medical procedures in return for aid and support.  If a person decides they need a termination in a crisis for what ever their own reasons it is neither just nor fair for the state to block that need being met, especially if medical experts are willing to help the patient. And that is equally vital in a disaster.

Americans must realise there are nearly always OPTIONS available OUTSIDE your own state and even often in Canada, Mexico or in the Carib states that MAY be accessible even if TSHTF. After all until very recently there was NO domestically made Anti Biotics produced in the US, All 100% was imported for a while, That could have been disastrous if a global catastrophe had cut supplies to the US.

Think outside the box, never EVER accept convention, dont follow the masses. Seek ALL alternative options.

 

(Again late to the party, but worth reviving this one!)

This is an outstanding post. Thank you for writing it up and, of course, John for supporting it. I would never have thought about abortion as post collapse medical care — but of course it is. And, as stated, the way things are going politically in this country it could be useful much soon (a good example of not SHTF but Shit Hits MY Fan). I’ve got 4 daughters, this is a very real and valid concern in their lives. 

 

Thanks for bumping this topic. I’m downloading as much of the info as possible to hard copy for future reference.

One of the main items on my “threat matrix” is society blindsided with very high transportation cost due  to petroleum constraints, and lack of transition. Don’t think that just because a trip to the next state or country is possible for you today, that it will be tomorrow.

 

There’s a long article in the May issue of the Atlantic with detailed info. on this and lots of links— they even use the term “prepper” to describe people who are not currently pregnant but are obtaining pills, skills, and/or instruments for self-managed abortion should Roe fall. Toward the end of the piece, the journalist purchases abortion pills for herself in that spirit, and some folks here might find her experience interesting/informative if they are thinking about adding mife and miso to their preps. It definitely made me think differently about potentially stocking these medications as a medical prep.

 

Nice, good share

 

Great addition, thanks for this!

 

Great article. I had no idea this was so easily done. Wow. Great resources. 

I sent it to my oldest daughter and she was thrilled. She asked if we could build one this summer when she was home. Pictures may be forth coming…?

 

@Trace — Pictures, yes! You could test it on a tomato.

 

This thread has prompted me to give serious thought about other medical conditions that will require more serious prepping than I have done so far. For example I have a family member that is diabetic and beyond wondering how to keep insulin cool, I have given no thought to alternative ways of managing his diabetes once the meds and other supplies run out. Thanks for the thought-provoking piece. 

 

From the news: U.S. Supreme Court set to overturn Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, Politico reports

 

Thanks for the great comments, everyone. I’m returning to add a few more resources to this list:

• National Network of Abortion Funds: Directory of abortion funds available by state in the U.S. Also a great resource for people interested in volunteering, donating, or taking direct action to support access to abortion for patients seeking health care from out of state
• National Abortion Federation Hotline: toll-free, multi-lingual assistance in booking an appointment and accessing abortion funding for the cost of your care and travel
• NM RCRC: For abortion funding, transportation to a clinic from out of state (especially Arizona, Oklaholma, and Texas), and support with lodging and food during your stay in New Mexico

 

*Thank you*

 

thank you!