What It’s Really Like Inside An Abortion Clinic

Here's the unfiltered truth of what it's really like at an abortion clinic, straight from former clients and clinic workers. It’s obvious that abortion is divisive. Again and again, the ethics of abortion and women’s bodily rights are brought up in conversations, politics and media. But, where abortions actually occur – abortion clinics – are seldom discussed. They are mysterious buildings, often with protestors outside, feminine colors on their sign and workers escorting anxious women in. But what really happens inside the doors of an abortion clinic?

The Abortion Clinic Model

An abortion clinic is a medical facility that specializes in providing abortions. This can be a chain of clinics (such as Planned Parenthood) or a stand-alone clinic. Though some may provide other women’s health services, their focus is in their name: abortion. In fact, in the 2020 Planned Parenthood Annual Report, abortions made up 96.6 percent of their pregnancy resolution services, while prenatal services, miscarriage care and adoption referrals only made up 2.2 percent, .7 percent and .5 percent. So, abortion clinics prioritize abortion and abortion-related work over other choices like adoption, parenting and pregnancy care. This creates a divide between a typical doctor’s office and an abortion clinic.

Priorities and Medical Ethics

If you were to walk into an OBGYN’s office with a problem, the doctor would go through a list of questions, taking their time to hone in on the most effective solution for your case. Their top priority is not one service. Rather, it’s finding the best service to help their patients thrive. Abortion clinics are part of an industry that makes money through selling specific services to women – and that’s very different. Additionally, doctors often don’t consider abortion to be the best resolution to pregnancy, especially since only 1 percent of women that seek abortion do so for their health. By putting a woman through a physically and emotionally intense procedure due to fear instead of serious health concerns, it simply covers up underlying issues with a “quick fix” and poses a serious risk.

Consequently, 86 percent of OBGYNs in the U.S. won’t provide abortions in any form to their patients. Another reason most doctors don’t provide abortion is because it is in direct opposition of the Hippocratic Oath, the ethical foundation of healthcare: “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel… I will endeavor to do no harm to human health or the natural environment on all projects, large or small.”

Financial Realities and Costs

Another misconception is that an appointment at an abortion clinic is covered by insurance. Because it is different than a normal visit to a doctor, this isn’t true. Many women have to pay out-of-pocket due to the Hyde Amendment (which allows states to prohibit insurance coverage of abortions). The costs associated with these services include:

• The abortion pill (average price): Around $580.
• In-clinic abortion: Between $700 and $2,200 (based on the age of the baby).
• Telemedicine abortion pill: Usually between $200 and $500.
• Pre-abortion screening: Not included (includes pregnancy testing and an ultrasound).

Patient and Worker Experiences

Abortion is a big deal. Not only does it take an intense physical toll, the emotional weight surrounding the procedure can be just as lifelong a decision as choosing parenting or adoption. Because of this, women report the environment of an abortion clinic to be heavy, chaotic and lacking comfort. In a recent Netherlands study, it found over one-third of women were unhappy and/or dissatisfied with their in-clinic abortion experience. The in-clinic abortion experience remains the same for abortion workers that have spoken out.

Internal Clinic Conditions

Though abortion is a significant procedure, workers feel there was never enough time allocated to pre-abortive and post-abortive care. Every day was a never-ending cycle of women who needed more care and attention than they could give them. In an abortion clinic quitters panel led by Abby Johnson, workers shared what led them to quit:

• “We had surgical abortion procedures back-to-back-to-back, every 5-10 minutes a new woman would come into the operating room.”
• “We had expired equipment and inadequate sterilization between patients. We would file reports and never hear about it again.”
• “I was doing all of the follow-up care… as the receptionist.”
• “We told everyone it was like taking Tylenol, but when I took it (the abortion pill) myself, it was by far the most traumatic, painful thing I’ve done… it terrifies me now.”

Plus, now that Roe has been overturned, demand is higher than ever.