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]
| Formation | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Founders |
|
| Type | non-profit organization |
| Website | www |
Objectives
editPlan 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 stated 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
editPlan C works in 4 ways.
- They conduct research and share information regarding how people are accessing abortion pills in the United States.
- They work with health care providers, reproductive health organizations, and technology innovators to establish relationships and connect individuals.
- They work to destigmatize and normalize self-managed abortion and call for universal access to abortion pills.
- They advocate for over-the-counter access to abortion pills.[5]
History
edit1990's
editDuring 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
editIn 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
editIn 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
editAs 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
editIn 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
editIn 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
editWith 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
editThe 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]
References
edit- ^ "PLAN C: Learn to access at-home abortion pill options online". Plan C.
- ^ Adams, Patrick (27 April 2017). "Spreading Plan C to End Pregnancy". The New York Times.
- ^ Tzortzis, Andreas (5 April 2018). "Profile: Francine Coeytaux". Ageist.
- ^ a b Khazan, Olga (12 October 2021). "The Abortion Backup Plan No One Is Talking About". The Atlantic.
- ^ a b c d e "About Us". Plan C. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "FROM SECRET TO SHELF: How collaboration is bringing emergency contraception to women" (PDF). Pacific Institute for Women’s Health. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "Plan C Report Card for online abortion pill suppliers" (PDF). CNN. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Baker, Carrie N. (June 3, 2022). "Funding Abortion Pills By Mail: 'Abortions Don't Wait'". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Leonard, Ben (May 11, 2022). "A scramble for telemedicine abortion". Politico. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ Cohen, Rachel (June 22, 2022). "Should you keep abortion pills at home, just in case?". Vox. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "How to Get Abortion Pills Online by Mail". Plan C. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Oller, Jacob (January 23, 2023). "Abortion Pill Documentary Plan C Is an Affecting, Overwhelming Political Maelstrom". Paste. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.