Abortion pills by mail in every state.

Many states allow legal access to abortion pills through clinics or telehealth services. People who get pills in states where these services are legal should face no legal risk.

Even in states that ban clinic-based abortion care, telehealth services are still available through clinicians who live in less restrictive states. This is possible because some states have “shield laws” that protect clinicians when they provide telehealth care to someone in another state. Lawyers tell us these laws should not create legal risk for patients.

People in all states can also get abortion pills from alternate suppliers like community networks and websites that sell pills. We mark alternate suppliers with an alert icon ⚠️ in our Guide).

To understand the potential legal risks of using alternate suppliers, you can contact the ReproLegal Helpline, a free legal resource that can help answer your questions: visit reprolegalhelpline.org or call or text 844-868-2812.

Some states have laws against abortion. These laws mean that with limited exceptions medical providers and clinics can’t do an abortion procedure or provide abortion pills.

A ban that blocks providers from offering care does not necessarily block a person from using pills on their own. But this does not mean a person who self-manages their abortion has no legal risk: people in the US are criminalized for all kinds of reasons, with outsized impact on certain identities or socioeconomic backgrounds.

People in states that ban abortion can still get abortion pills by mail from telehealth providers in “shield law” states (see above) or alternate suppliers, like websites that sell pills and community networks that mail them for free. We mark these alternate suppliers with an alert icon ⚠️ in our Guide to let you know there could be legal risk.

This is a really hard question to answer.

We have some information about what has happened in the past. From 2000 to 2020, at least 61 people who have self-managed an abortion or have helped someone else were arrested or prosecuted. During that same time, many people self-managed abortions (tens of thousands or more).

It is unclear how new abortion laws will affect future criminalization of people for self-managing an abortion.

Those who are already at greater risk of criminalization because of their race, gender identity, economic status, or other factors may have a higher risk of prosecution.

The Repro Legal Helpline provides free and confidential legal advice that can help people better understand the laws and legal risk they may face. Contact them online or call 844-868-2812.

Taking abortion pills is not a criminal act in most states. But, some people who have used abortion pills on their own have gotten in legal trouble in the United States.

The most common ways people get in trouble are:

Once someone decides to have an abortion, they should be able to do so safely, effectively, and with dignity. No one should be arrested or jailed for ending their own pregnancy.

If someone gets into trouble for having an abortion, it is important for them to get legal help. Organizations that offer legal help are:

• Repro Legal Helpline provides free, confidential legal support online or at 844-868-2812. They also defend people who are prosecuted or threatened with prosecution for self-managing their abortion. This fact sheet also has some great information about legal issues.
• Pregnancy Justice defends women who are pregnant and attempt to have abortion, actually have an abortion, or are mistaken as someone who has had an abortion.