Reproductive Rights Information

The decision to terminate a pregnancy is often impacted by state legislation, which prohibits abortion in certain circumstances. In many states, there is a legal cut-off, a gestational point at which an abortion cannot be performed unless necessary to save the mother's life, or in cases or rape or incest.



To find out what the gestational cut-off currently is in various states, see the Guttmacher Institute's State Policies in Brief and State Policies on Later Abortions.



Many states also have mandatory counseling and waiting periods for patients desiring abortion care. To find out if your state has mandatory counseling and/or waiting periods, see the Guttmacher Institute's brief on Counseling and Waiting Periods for Abortion.



Some states have enacted laws that will prohibit private insurance coverage by insurance companies which participate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchange. To find out if your state has passed such a law, see the Guttmacher Institute's brief on Restricting Insurance Coverage of Abortion.



If someone does not have private insurance or Medicaid which will cover the cost of their abortion care, there are organizations which can help with funding. If your household monthly income is at or below the federal poverty guidelines, call the National Abortion Federation at 1-800-772-9100. Whether your monthly income is below the federal poverty guidelines or not, there is also assistance available through the National Network of Abortion Funds.



If someone needs help finding a provider, either because they are past the gestational cut-off in their state or because their physician is unable to assist them, call the National Abortion Federation's referral line at 1-877-257-0012. You can also reach out to the group owner of the Termination for Medical Reasons group at BabyCenter.com, who keeps a list of physicians who provide abortion care, even into the 3rd trimester.