For more information about abortion with pills, check out Self-Managed Abortion; Safe and Supported.
Everyone who wants or needs an abortion should be supported in deciding the abortion method that works best for them – whether that is care with a provider (in-person or telehealth) or by self-managing their own abortion.
At NNAF, we affirm the autonomy of all people to self-determine their reproductive lives, including whether to end or continue a pregnancy without fear of discrimination, harassment, violence, or criminalization.
Self-managed abortion (SMA) is when a person manages their own abortion; SMA may include the use of pills, herbs or other methods.
- SMAs happen outside of a medical setting, without the involvement of a medical provider acting within their legal scope of practice.
- SMAs happen in the setting decided on by the pregnant person, sometimes with the help of a caregiver, friend, or family member.
There are many reasons one might prefer to end their own pregnancy, and many people experience co-existing dynamics as they weigh their decisions. A person might want to exercise more control over the experience, the location, and the timing of their abortion for highly personal reasons. They might be grappling with immense financial and logistical barriers, or struggling to find an available appointment as the number of abortion providers and states with abortion protections shrinks across the US.
No one should face criminal charges or incarceration for making their own pregnancy decisions, including abortion.
There are several states that explicitly prohibit self-managing an abortion. But even in states where there are no laws against abortion, prosecutors have used and misused a wide variety of laws to punish people for self-managing– including laws that were never intended to be used against the pregnant person for their own pregnancy outcome.
Visit the Repro Legal Helpline to find more information about the laws and potential legal risk in your state.
Learn more
NNAF does not monitor or endorse the accuracy of any information contained at these links. Listing these resources does not imply endorsement of any content. The information contained at these links represents the views of the organizations linked, not NNAF.
- Ways to protect the privacy of online research and communications about abortion
- If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice: information on legal risks and criminalization related to pregnancy, abortion, or pregnancy outcomes
- If/When/How Repro Legal Defense Fund: provides financial support for posting bail and securing defense counsel when a person has been targeted by law enforcement for ending their own pregnancy
- Self-Managed Abortion; Safe and Supported (SASS): provides detailed information and support around self-managed abortion (Available in English & Spanish).
- M+A Hotline: provides volunteer clinician support for miscarriage or abortion (Available in English and Spanish; can be reached by phone call or text).
- Reprocare Healthline: provides information and peer-based emotional support for planning or having an abortion with pills. (Available in English and Spanish; can be reached by phone call or text).
- Euki App: provides sexual and reproductive health information and tools to track what’s going on with your body in one place, using a private and secure platform. The app is especially for people in the United States, but much of the information is relevant to people all over the world.
- The SAFE Study: includes data on the effectiveness and safety of self-managed medication abortion with accompaniment support (Available in English and Spanish).
- Abortion on Our Own Terms: A resource with information about self-managed abortion with pills as well as politically-imposed barriers to self-managed abortion with pills
For more information about abortion with pills, check out Self-Managed Abortion; Safe and Supported.
For more information on criminalization of pregnancy outcomes, visit If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice.