How do I choose a provider?
Several different types of health facilities provide abortion care, including reproductive health clinics, private medical practices, and hospitals. When seeking an abortion provider, there are many factors you should consider. At a minimum, an abortion provider should be able to answer all of your questions regarding the facility, your pregnancy options, and abortion procedures themselves. Some of this information may be available only during an in-person appointment.
If a provider will not answer questions about the services provided or seems to be giving biased responses, you should consider seeking a different provider.
Reproductive health centers
As of 2017, from the most recent Guttmacher Institute data available, there were 144 health centers in New England that provide abortion care.
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In 2017, reproductive health centers, including reproductive health clinics and private doctors’ offices, provided roughly 50% of abortions performed in New England. These clinics and private practices can be found in several cities and towns across New England and are typically more affordable than a hospital. Our find a provider tool provides information on the services available at each facility. If you are unable to obtain assistance from one of these providers or find that you have special health needs requiring more extensive medical attention, you may want to contact one of the hospitals directly.
Each clinic and private practice in every state has different cost structures and payment options, including whether they accept Medicaid coverage for abortion care. Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont allow Medicaid funding to cover abortion care in almost every instance. New Hampshire and Rhode Island allow use of Medicaid funding only in cases of life endangerment, rape and incest. Check with the clinic that you choose. In some cases, you may be eligible for other types of funding to cover the cost of your abortion.
Hospitals
While hospitals provide a smaller percentage of abortion care in New England, they are important settings for people with special medical needs or those who face geographic or financial barriers to care. In addition, many reproductive health centers and private doctors’ offices do not provide abortion care through the second trimester, whereas the hospitals listed here do.
Anti-Abortion Centers
It is important to be aware of anti-abortion centers that present themselves as resources for women facing unplanned pregnancies. These centers are often deliberately located near reproductive health clinics. They create websites that appear in online searches for legitimate abortion clinics and advertise online and in print media in ways that might appeal to those who are considering abortion. Anti-abortion centers are typically managed and funded by organizations that oppose abortion in any and all circumstances. As a result, a person with an unintended pregnancy seeking full options counseling or abortion referrals should be aware of the existence of such biased facilities.
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While these facilities may offer free pregnancy testing, they are purposefully vague about whether they provide abortion care. Some may be licensed to provide medical care; even so, they exist to dissuade women from receiving abortion care. They may not have any medical professionals available to speak with their clients. They tend to "counsel" a pregnant person by engaging in a lengthy discussion about fetal development, providing misinformation about the alleged "dangers" of abortion (see "Busting the Myths" here), and pressuring the individual to choose parenthood or adoption.
How can you tell if a facility offers unbiased counseling and abortion services or referrals?
Check its website for statements about whether or not it provides abortion referrals. Often, disclosure that the Fake Women’s Health Center does not provide abortion care or referrals is buried in its website;
Ask directly if it offers full options counseling, abortion referrals, or abortion care; and
Determine if the facility is hesitant to give referrals for abortion care either on the phone or in person.
Find out more information about these anti-abortion centers.
