Abortion Care Services: Procedures, Patient Support, and Recent Developments
We specialise in treatment, advice & support for people considering abortion. Whether you’re accessing abortion care with MSI UK, we are here to support you throughout your journey. Patients have access to a variety of resources, including a gestation calculator, advice on choosing your treatment, and information regarding abortion and your rights.
Understanding Abortion Procedures and Timelines
Clinical care typically includes both medical abortion and surgical abortion options. To ensure patients are fully prepared, providers offer a step-by-step abortion timeline including:
- Abortion consultation
- How to prepare
- On the day procedures
- Inside our clinics: virtual tours
- Abortion aftercare and recovery
In 2023, 63% of abortions in the United States took place using medication rather than surgical procedures. In states where abortion is legal, medication that induces a miscarriage is available to patients in their first trimester of pregnancy. Patients typically take two doses of medication, the second of which is often taken at home.
Restoring Abortion Access in Missouri
Two of Missouri’s nine Planned Parenthood clinics are poised to start performing regularly-scheduled surgical abortions next week. Only surgical abortions will be offered initially as the clinics await state approval to restart medication abortions. This follows a ruling where Jackson County judge Jerri Zhang struck down the final few regulations for Missouri abortion providers, calling them “unnecessary” and “discriminatory,” opening the door for abortions to resume.
The first elective abortion in Missouri since the procedure was banned in 2022 was performed earlier this month in a Kansas City Planned Parenthood clinic. It will now be offering regular appointments for surgical abortions along with the clinic in Columbia, which has not offered the procedure since 2018.
Clinic Relocations and Regional Care Shifts
Reproductive health providers have started leaving states with bans, working to open new outposts for abortion on the borders in nearby states that appear likely to maintain access. Providers hope the new clinics can help serve the surge of patients now expected to travel for abortions.
The following table outlines recent clinic relocation efforts in the United States:
| Provider / Clinic | Original Location | New or Planned Location |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Woman’s Health | Texas | New Mexico |
| CHOICES | Memphis, Tennessee | Carbondale, Illinois |
| Red River Women’s Clinic | North Dakota | Minnesota |
| Jackson Women’s Health Organization | Mississippi | Las Cruces, New Mexico |
Wait times for abortion appointments have increased to two to three weeks from one to two days in some regions as providers in states like New Mexico and southern Illinois face an influx of patients. Providers plan to open clinics on borders near states with abortion bans to alleviate some of this strain.