HOWHOW TOTO GETGET AA N N ABORTIONABORTION II N N OKLAHOMAOKLAHOMA

content updated by ocrj volunteers 2014-2019

"No matter "No matter what happens, what happens, or how bad it seems today, or how bad it life does go on, seems today, and it will be better tomorrow." life does go on, and it will be bet- ter tomorrow." - Maya Angelou 4FREEDOM MEANS CHOICE

PLEASE READ: FREEDOM MEANS

CHOICEThis information is NOT intended as a guide for medical care or advice and does NOT replace the care or professional guidance of a healthcare provider. This was written to simply commu- nicate how to go about getting an in . If you suspect you are pregnant, take a pregnancy test immediately. If you do not have a healthcare provider, please see the list of resources at the end of this article. In addition, the views, opinions, and facts stated in this pub- lication do not represent the views or opinions of any organization or entity mentioned herein If you live in Oklahoma and are in need of an abortion or are considering abortion as an option, this booklet:

Outlines what clinics are most readily accessible to you. Describes how to access financial aid Describes available abortion procedures Informs you of the laws governing abortion restrictions Shares local resources for help and further assistance Shares information on legislation and opportunities for activism.

Although it’s not often discussed, abortion is not an uncommon experience because unintended pregnancy occurs across racial, ethnic, class, and gender lines. In fact, it is estimated that one in four child-bearing people have an abortion by the time they reach 45; over half are individuals who already have children. Abortion is completely legal and is one of the safest surgical procedures in the United States. Abortion at any gestational age is typically 14 times safer overall than carrying to term. Disclaimer This information is NOT intended as a guide for 4medical care or advice Where can I go? A list of all the clinics within a reasonable 8distance of the Oklahoma area How can I afford it? Information on the cost of abortion 12procedures, including Oklahoma restrictions The Procedure 14Explanation of the abortion procedure The Laws Information on the current Oklahoma laws 18dealing with abortion Myths & Facts Refuting the biases and myths surrounding 20abortions Legislation & Activism Information on how you can get involved

24 Resources 25A list of available resources Sources 26The information that helped make this zine Where can I go? OKLAHOMA

8 Tulsa Women’s Clinic 6136 East 32nd Place Tulsa, OK 74135 1-800-821-7237 www.tulsawomensclinic.com Surgical Abortion up to 18 weeks, Medication Abortion up to 10 weeks Mon – Sat

Abortion Surgery Center 2453 Wilcox Drive Norman, OK 73069 405-329-8120 or 1-800-734-5811 www.abortionsurgerycenter.com Surgical Abortion up to 12 weeks, Medication Abortion up to 10 weeks Mon - Fri

Trust Women South Wind Women’s Center 1240 SW 44th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73109 405-429-7940 www.itrustwomen.org Surgical Abortion up to 21.6 weeks, Medication Abortion up to 10 weeks Mon - Fri

Comprehensive Health of Great Plains 619 NW 23rd Street Oklahoma City, OK 73103 405-528-2157 www.plannedparenthood.org/planned- parenthood-great-plains Medication Abortion up to 10 weeks Tues, Wed, Fri, & Sat KANSAS Trust Women South Wind Women’s Center 5107 E. Kellogg Avenue Wichita, KS 67218 316-260-6934 www.itrustwomen.org Surgical Abortion, Medication Abortion Monday - Saturday

Planned Parenthood Great Plains Wichita Health Center 2226 E. Central Wichita, KS 67214 316-263-7575 www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood- great-plains Medication on Thurs

Planned Parenthood Great Plains Comprehensive Health Center 4401 W. 109th Street, Ste. 100 Overland Park, KS 66211 913-345-1400 www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood- great-plains Surgical Abortion, Medication Abortion Tues – Sat

Center for Women’s Health 4840 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS 66211 913-491-6878 or 1-800-733-2404 www.hodesnauser.com Surgical and Medication Abortion up to 21.6 weeks

MISSOURI Reproductive Health Services of PPSLR 4251 Forest Park Avenue Saint Louis, MO 63108 314-531-7526 www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/missouri/ saint-louis Surgical Abortion, Medication Abortion Where can I go?

10 ARKANSAS

Planned Parenthood Great Plains Little Rock Health Center 1501 Aldersgate Road Little Rock, AR 72205 501-666-7526 www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood- great-plains/ppgp-health-centers/ppgp-in-arkansas Medication Abortion

Little Rock Family Planning Services 4 Office Park Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 501-225-3836 or 1-800-272-2183 www.lrfps.com Surgical Abortion, Medication Abortion up to 21 weeks

TEXAS

Whole Woman’s Health of Forth Worth 3256 Lackland Road Forth Worth, TX 76116 817-924-6641 www.wholewomanshealth.com Medication Abortion up to 10 weeks, Surgical Abortion up to 17.6 weeks Mon - Sat For the most up to date list of services provided at each clinic please visit your preferred clinic’s website. Please note that certain abortion procedures can only be performed during the first trimester. Consult with your abortion care provider to find out what services will be available to you. PLEASE NOTE THAT ABORTION PROCEDURES TYPICALLY INCLUDE:

Education and Counseling Routine laboratory work Ultrasound for gestational age determination Pre-operative medications Routine post-procedure medications 24 hour on-call medical assistance Post-procedure check-up

TIP: Call the clinic to schedule an appointment as soon as possible; The 72 hour consent is done over the phone. The patient will simply have to listen to someone from the clinic read the required information. To reduce the wait times, go online and print out any patient information forms. Fill them out and bring them to your appointment. How can I afford it?

12 The cost of an abortion is an impediment to most women. In Oklahoma, abortions typically cost between $650 and $2,100. Public funds such as Medicaid cannot be used to pay for the procedure. If you cannot afford an abortion, please contact the clinic where your procedure is at and ask them about funding for your procedure. Depending on which clinic you choose, you may have access to additional funds through NAF – The National Abortion Federation or NNAF – The National Network of Abortion Funds. Patients will have to meet federal poverty guidelines and live in Oklahoma. NAF can only give set amounts to patients based on their gestation, but if the patient has extraordinary circumstances or is facing a price change or procedure change, the clinic can ask for an exception to allow the patient to receive more funding. If they do the clinic has to also contribute their own funding or discount to the patient’s cost. Patients coming to Trust Women or Reproductive Services in Tulsa will typically do an intake with the clinic staff, but they can still call the NAF hotline. It’s 1-800-772- 9100. Roe funding is extremely limited right now so most funding for Oklahoma patients is coming from NAF. Patients from Arkansas, Texas, Missouri or Kansas can access other funds depending on where they live. If the situation is extraordinary the clinic may be able to provide additional help with lodging or other needs.

Other restrictions on abortion funding in the state of Oklahoma: Abortion is not covered in private insurance policies unless the person’s life is in danger or unless an optional rider (an addition to your insurance policy) is purchased at an additional cost Health plans offered in the state’s health exchange under the Affordable Care Act can only cover abortion in cases when the person’s life is endangered, unless an optional rider is purchased at an additional cost Abortion is not covered in insurance policies for public employees unless the person’s life is in danger. TRICARE (military insurance for service members and dependents) does not cover elective abortion, but has covered it in cases of medical necessity, fetal abnormality, or rape. The Procedure

14 A medical abortion is the most common and least invasive method of abortion. For this method, Mifiprex and Misoprostol pills are used and end an early pregnancy up to 70 days from your last menstrual period. The cut off for medication abortion is 10 weeks for both Trust Women’s and Planned Parenthood. Mifiprex blocks the hormone progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone that prepares the uterus for a fertilized egg and helps maintain pregnancy. Without progesterone the pregnancy cannot continue and the lining of the uterus softens, breaks down, and bleeding begins. Mifiprex is followed by a prostaglandin, Misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract and expel the pregnancy. Some people describe the process as similar to a miscarriage. This medication can begin to work immediately, or it can take up to 72 hours to be completely effective. Make sure you’re at home or in a safe and comfortable place. Please note, there will be bleeding and cramping because your body is excreting the lining of your uterus. For a lot of people, the abortion is complete within 4 or 5 hours of taking the Mifiprex and/or Misoprostol but for others, it can take a few days. As with any medical procedure, please make sure to follow up with a healthcare practitioner. Patients are likely to have period type bleeding or heavier for at least two weeks with the medication abortion even after the pregnancy has passed. It is also extremely important to have a follow up appointment as it has a 3 to 5% failure rate leading to tissue or a continuing pregnancy in the uterus. Surgical abortions are performed during the first and second trimester of a pregnancy. The surgical procedure for a first trimester abortion is called a suction or vacuum aspiration. This procedure is 7 to 10 times safer than childbirth and can take up to 8 minutes to complete. During a suction aspiration, you may be sedated and most likely will feel no discomfort. However, you will feel cramping afterwards, similar to what you experience during your period, for several days. This procedure takes place in an exam room with a physician and their assistant.

CONTINUED… The Procedure

16 Abortions performed in the second trimester (between 13 to 24 weeks) typically involve a procedure known as Dilation & Evacuation (D&E). This procedure is more intensive than a suction aspiration because it requires your cervix to dilate. This is done through the use of medication and can take a few hours to a few days depending on your abortion provider’s plan. After your cervix has dilated, the procedure will take place in an exam room with the physician and their assistant. As with the suction aspiration, you will be given sedatives or anesthesia. Depending on your situation, you may be required to stay in the facility for further observation and additional medications. Some providers, such as the Abortion Surgery Center in Norman, utilize the Dilation & Curettage, D&C, method of surgical abortion. This method involves cervical dilation and the scraping of the inside of your uterus. D&Cs are also used to diagnose and treat uterine fibroids, remove cancerous tissue, and to diagnose and treat unusual uterine bleeding. Both the D&E and D&C procedures typically take less than 10 minutes and you are given about one hour in the recovery room to recuperate. Because of the sedation medication used, most clinics require you to have a driver for the ride home. Patients are not typically fully sedated during D&C or D&E procedures. Most clinics do oral anti-anxiety and pain medication or conscious sedation given through IV medications (typically a pain medication such as Fentanyl and an anxiety medication such as Midazolam or Versed; some clinics also use Ketamine or other medications.) With conscious sedation, the patient is still awake, but they may not remember all of the procedure. Patients with either type of sedation (or only an oral pain medication such as ibuprofen if they patient needs to drive themselves) are likely to experience cramping during the procedure. They may experience some sharper pain when there cervix is numbed with a local anesthetic. Conscious sedation is very typical for other types of in-office or outpatient procedures as the medications work quickly, but have a short half- life allowing the patient to be fully ambulatory and able to leave after an hour. They are not as effective for patients that have used opioids or other painkillers frequently. D&E typically starts at 15 weeks. Prior to undergoing any of these procedures, you will need to have certain laboratory tests performed (i.e., urine samples, blood work, etc.) and most providers will include an ultrasound with all procedures described above so that they can accurately determine how far along you are in your pregnancy. Most clinics include lab testing and other routine procedures in the price of the abortion procedure. The cutoff for Trust Women’s surgical abortions is 21. 6 weeks. The Laws

CURRENT LEGISLATION IN OKLAHOMA 18 MANDATES THAT:

All abortion patients must receive state- directed counseling and then wait 72 hours before the procedure is provided.

The use of telemedicine for the performance of medication abortion is prohibited.

The parent of a minor must consent and be notified before an abortion is provided.

In most states, there is a process called a judicial bypass, where a minor can go before a judge. See detailed information on the next page. JUDICIAL BYPASS

Judicial bypass is available in most states. If a minor wants an abortion, but feels they cannot obtain consent from their parents, they have the option to go to a judge and obtain permission to have an abortion. For judicial bypass, minors parents do not have to be notified if the patient is granted the bypass. But minors do have to go before a judge in their home county. If a minor feels they are in danger if their parents are notified they may want to consider seeking the abortion procedure in a different state. For more information about judicial bypass, contact someone at an listed in this guide.

IF YOU ARE A MINOR DVIS (Tulsa County) AND ARE A VICTIM immediately 918-743-5763 OF RAPE OR INCEST PLEASE CALL: YWCA (Oklahoma County) 405-917-9922 or 405-943-7273 The National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 The National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-4673 Myths & Facts

20 The myths and facts listed below were taken from the Everyday Feminism website: www.everydayfeminism.com

MYTH #1: ABORTION IS BABY FACT: KILLING. A fetus is not a baby; a fetus is simply a developing mammal. In humans, a fetus develops at the end of the second month of gestation. Whereas, a baby is a human offspring that has already been born. The difference is in the development. For instance, a zygote (fertilized egg) that has implanted itself in your uterus just two days ago is not the same thing as a human life that has already come into being. Its science and it really is that simple. MYTH #2: FACT: Using abortion in place of contraception ABORTIONis not something people actually do. From a logical standpoint, the argument that abortion IS USED is used as a form of birth control makes no AS A FORMsense because it assumes that abortion is easier to access than birth control. It also OF BIRTHassumes that abortion is cheaper than CONTROL.contraceptive pills or devices, and at nearly $700 per abortion we know this is simply not true. As you probably have already gleaned from this article, abortions are not easy to access or afford for practically any person due to the amount of restrictions imposed on clinics and the cost of the procedures. In fact, 31% of women who live in rural areas traveled more than 100 miles to receive abortion services and 74% traveled more than 50 miles to access services. In addition, only 66% of health insurance providers cover abortion MYTH #3: services to some degree. FACT: PEOPLE WHO Post-abortion syndrome does not exist. Most people do HAVE ABORTIONSnot regret having their abortions. REGRET IT OR In fact, almost 75% indicated that the benefits of getting an abortion EXPERIENCE outweighed the perceived harm. INTENSE GRIEF.Another study has shown that 95% of abortion patients felt they had made the right choice. The number one most common emotion reported after an abortion is relief. Myths & Facts

22 MYTH #4: ONLY SELFISH PEOPLE HAVE

ABORTIONS.FACT: This myth is completely sexist and if it doesn’t make you angry, then I don’t know what will. Getting an abortion is not a selfish decision. Unfortunately, many people equate abortions to selfish behavior because we are expected to put ourselves last in relation to others…including a fetus. This myth exists because of the way society has constructed the idea of gender and womanhood. We do not need to be perpetual caregivers and nurturers. Those who choose to remain childless are choosing themselves; this is in direct conflict with how our culture always expects selflessness. MYTH #5: FACT: IF No, it won’t. Global research has shown that making abortion ABORTIONillegal doesn’t decrease the rate of BECOMESabortions; it only impacts the safety of the procedure. When abortion is ILLEGAL, illegal, it is unsafe. When abortion is ABORTIONillegal, people die. When abortion is criminalized it only creates unsafe WILL and unsanitary conditions and it END. results in more unnecessary and preventable deaths. Criminalizing abortion does not prevent individuals from getting abortions.

MYTH #6: ONLY WOMEN GET FACT: ABORTIONS. Abortion rhetoric is highly gendered. Rarely is it even acknowledged that abortion patients are not exclusively hetero-normative women. In fact, there are plenty of trans men who need access to abortions and who receive them. There are also plenty of other trans people who don’t fall into the gender binary who also get abortions. Legislation & Activism

24 Your Body, Their Politics Unfortunately, abortion is considered a highly political issue instead of a simple and necessary obstetrical and gynecological procedure. Who you vote for directly effects when, where, how, and if you can get an abortion. In 1973 Roe v. Wade made legal abortion the law of the land, and legal in all 50 states. In 1992, another court decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey allowed states to restrict abortion at their discretion, so long as the restriction does not place an “undue burden” on the person seeking the abortion. Different states have different laws restricting abortion; some states have more restrictive abortion laws than others. Oklahoma is one of the most restrictive states in the nation; it has more abortion restriction laws than nearly any other state. Nearly every legislative session, legislators in Oklahoma propose dozens of new abortion restriction laws. Please visit your local representative’s website to find out if they are pro-choice or anti-choice. If their website or fliers feature words like “family values”, “right to life”, “dignity of life”, or “life is sacred” then they are most definitely anti- choice. For more information on Oklahoma lawmakers and their stances on reproductive rights please visit: www.on- theissues.org. To find out more about progressive women political candidates, or to become one yourself, please contact Sally’s List at www.sallyslist.org. Sally’s List is an Oklahoma nonprofit dedicated to recruiting and training progressive women to run for Oklahoma office. If you would like to become involved in Oklahoma’s abortion rights activist network please visit: The Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice www.ocrj.org The Oklahoma Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice www.okrcrc.org Resources

DVIS – Domestic Oklahoma Coalition Violence Intervention Against Domestic Services Violence & Sexual 4300 South Harvard Assault Avenue Tulsa, OK 74135 3815 N. Santa Fe 918-585-3163 OKC, OK 73118 www.dvis.org 405-524-0700 www.ocadvsa.org Dayspring Villa P.O. Box 1588 Oklahoma Religious Sand Springs, OK 74063 Coalition for Reproduc- 918-245-4075 tive Choice www.dayspringvilla.com P.O. Box 35194 Tulsa, OK 74153 Planned Parenthood 918-481-6444 Great Plains www.okrcrc.org/ www.ppgp.org assistance

Oklahoma City Main Oklahoma Call for Health Center Reproductive Justice 619 N.W. 23rd Street P.O. Box 892381 OKC, OK 73103 OKC, OK 73189 405-528-2157 www.ocrj.org

Edmond Health Center Family & Children’s 3431 S. Boulevard, Services Central Office Ste 108 650 S. Peoria Avenue Edmond, OK 73013 Tulsa, OK 74120 405-348-9904 918-587-9471 For additional locations Midwest City Health please call or visit: www. Center fcsok.org 1200 “G” S. Air Depot Midwest City, OK 73110 Oklahoma Safeline 405-732-3836 1-800-522-7233

Sally’s List Supports and trains progressive women to run for political office in Oklahoma www.sallyslist.org Sources

26 The Guttmacher Institute www.guttmacher.org Tulsa Women’s Clinic www.tulsawomensclinic.com The Abortion Surgery Center www.abortionsurgerycenter.com South Wind Women’s Center www.southwindwomenscenter.org The Whole Woman’s Health Center of Forth Worth www.wholewomanshealth.org Planned Parenthood www.plannedparenthood.org On the Issues www.ontheissues.org Abortion Information www.abortion.com Everyday Feminism www.everydayfeminism.com Think Progress www.thinkprogress.org Mother Jones www.motherjones.com Politico www.politico.com ABC News Birth Control Free For All: New Insurance Rules Affect Millions of Women Reuters US Says Insurers Must Fully Cover Birth Control Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College The Margaret Sanger Papers James Mohr Abortion in America: The Origins and Evolution of National Policy, 1800-1900 Andrea Tone A History of Contraceptives in America

This zine is edited annually to reflect current laws and medical practic- es. The content is maintained by a team of dedicated volunteers within the Oklahoma Call for Repro- ductive Justice. We are a collective of organizations and individuals progressing reproductive justice in Oklahoma through education, em- powerment, and advocacy. OCRJ is committed to protecting the full range of reproductive health care options- ranging from abortion ac- cess to quality birth control options to parenting and adoption rights- in Oklahoma while supporting policies that foster safe and healthy environ- ments for families. We will continue to engage in activism on all levels to succeed. A volunteer board of directors governs OCRJ. OCRJ is incorporated as a 501(c)4 nonprofit in the state of Oklahoma.