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. While the ethics of abortion and women’s bodily rights are frequently debated in politics and media, the mysterious buildings where abortions actually occur are seldom discussed. 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.
Focus and Priorities of Abortion Clinics
So, abortion clinics prioritize abortion and abortion-related work over other choices like adoption, parenting and pregnancy care. Data from major providers illustrates this specific focus. In fact, in the 2020 Planned Parenthood Annual Report, abortions made up the vast majority of their pregnancy resolution services.
| Service Type | Percentage of Pregnancy Resolution Services |
|---|---|
| Abortions | 96.6% |
| Prenatal services | 2.2% |
| Miscarriage care | 0.7% |
| Adoption referrals | 0.5% |
This creates a divide between a typical doctor’s office and an abortion clinic. If you were to walk into an OBGYN’s office with a problem, the doctor’s 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. Because doctors often don’t consider abortion to be the best resolution to pregnancy, 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: “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.”
Financial Costs and Insurance Coverage
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. Costs vary significantly depending on the method and timing:
- Abortion pill (average price): around $580
- Abortion pill (online/telemedicine): usually between $200 and $500
- In-clinic abortion: anywhere from $700 to $2,200 (based on the age of the baby)
None of this includes the cost of pre-abortion screening, which includes pregnancy testing and an ultrasound.
The Environment and Internal Operations
Abortion is a big deal that takes an intense physical toll. 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 experience remains the same for abortion workers that have spoken out. They feel there was never enough time allocated to pre-abortive and post-abortive care, describing a never-ending cycle of women who needed more attention than they could give.
In an abortion clinic quitters panel, workers shared specific details that 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.”
- “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.”
Now that Roe has been overturned, demand is higher than ever, and reports indicate that almost every patient in the recovery room cries after the procedure.