With Roe v Wade being overturned in the Supreme Court, access to safe abortions has become a question mark. I’ll be frank. I never thought I’d wonder if I could safely obtain abortion medication online for myself or my daughter without worry. Not while living in America. Honestly, I kind of thought that was the point of continuing to live in this country. We aren’t truly free, are we? Thankfully you can still order an abortion pill online if you live in California.
How does an abortion pill work?
Abortion pills, also known as Plan C, are a two-part process that includes two different medications, technically only available by prescription in California as of this writing. Your options are grey market in other states.
The treatment includes Mifepristone 200 mg, an oral medication swallowed with water. This is the medication that causes the pregnancy to detach from the uterus. The second half of the duo is Misoprostol, 200 mcg (8 pills) which is an oral medication dissolved in the mouth, between the cheek and gum for 30 minutes. Some sites have noted it can also be dissolved in the vagina. This is the medication that causes the uterus to contract and push out the pregnancy tissue.
Within 48 hours of taking Misoprostol, your body will expel the pregnancy tissue. You may feel tired and achy, similar to if you had the flu, but it can vary from person to person. It’s possible to have a fever and/or chills. After a day or two, you should begin feeling back to yourself.
If you do not, please contact a physician. You may notice some milky discharge from your breasts for a few days as well; this is normal and should stop over time. If you’re still feeling nauseous, feverish, or vomiting more than 24 hours after taking the 2nd set of pills, contact your doctor as this can be a sign of infection.
What is it like to order an abortion pill online with Wisp?
Ordering the abortion pill in California is simple, thanks to Wisp. Wisp is an online service that provides abortion pills, birth control, Plan B, and more in a safe, doctor-supervised environment.
If you are at least 18 years old, less than 10 weeks pregnant, and living in California, Wisp will connect you to a licensed provider to guide your way. If a medical abortion is considered safe and appropriate, they’ll ship FDA-approved meds to your door for at-home treatment.
During treatment, you’ll have access to support 24 hours a day. In addition, Wisp schedules two wellness check-ins in the four weeks following treatment. Just schedule a consultation with a doctor to begin.
The price of abortion pills depends on how you obtain them and whether or not you use insurance. My research indicates a range between $40-$600.
What are the side effects of using abortion pills?
Some patients experience bleeding, nausea, vomiting, and cramping after taking the abortion pills. This is perfectly normal and to be expected. Any heavy bleeding should be reported to your primary care physician immediately and treated. This is a concern for a lot of users of abortion pills, especially in states where they are not legal.
FDA-approved abortion pills work by inducing a miscarriage. From your body’s perspective, a medication abortion and a spontaneously occurring miscarriage are the same physical process (though the emotional experiences may be very different.) The physical process, risks, warning signs, potential complications, and treatments are the same. There is no test to determine if you have taken abortion pills. If you aren’t comfortable telling a medical provider that you’ve had a medication abortion instead of a spontaneous miscarriage, it is not necessary to do so. Your body won’t give you away.
Is it safe to take abortion pills?
It’s safer than taking Tylenol. Medication abortion is so safe that it could be sold over-the-counter (OTC) without a prescription if not for political considerations. Fewer than 4 people out of 1,000 will have serious complications requiring hospitalization, infusion, or surgery. To put that into perspective, acetaminophen (Tylenol), is the foremost cause of acute liver failure in the U.S., sometimes accounting for nearly 25% of emergency department visits per year.
Can I order emergency contraception online?
If you find yourself in need of emergency contraception, Wisp can also help you out. Some pharmacists won’t sell Plan B for religious reasons, so if you’re sexually active, it can be useful to have some on hand. You don’t want to discover in an emergency that your Baptist pharmacist is taking a stand.
Wisp offers two kinds of emergency contraception, Levonorgestrel (Generic Plan B) and Ella. Levonorgestrel needs to be taken within three days or 72 hours of unprotected sex, while Ella can be taken within 120 hours or five days. However, only Levonorgestrel can be ordered in advance. Ella is a pick-up-only product, meaning Wisp will need to call in a prescription.
Accordingly, if you’re planning ahead, Levonorgestrel is going to be what you’re looking for. Wisp charges $17 plus shitting for Levonorgestrel, however you can save by ordering in bulk. One pill is $17, two pills are $30, and three pills are $40. You can explore further on Wisp’s website.
Can I send abortion pills to someone outside California?
Yes. However, you should be aware it’s illegal at this time to do so, so you’ll want to protect yourself. Since 2000, at least 60 people who have self-managed an abortion or have helped someone else are known to have been arrested or prosecuted.
Those who are already at greater risk of criminalization because of their race, gender identity, economic status, or other factors may have a higher risk of prosecution. People who live in very conservative states also face a higher risk of prosecution. A few states even have laws that say that self-managing an abortion is illegal.
Protecting yourself can be as simple as using a VPN when browsing the web, being careful who you discuss your plans with, paying with Bitcoin when ordering things online, and limiting who you share your medical information with.
It’s important to remember these things:
- Those who choose to use abortion pills on their own do not have to tell anyone that they took abortion pills (and doing so may increase the risk of prosecution).
- There is no way for a medical provider to know whether someone took abortion pills. The bleeding looks the same as a miscarriage.
- Medical providers can give appropriate follow-up care for bleeding and pain without knowing whether someone took abortion pills.
- Some people use VPNs and other technology to protect their privacy.
If you’re unsure about where to find abortion pills outside of California, online or otherwise, Plan C can help. Visit https://www.plancpills.org/find-pills for more information.
