Man, let me tell ya about last Tuesday. Woke up feeling all panicky ’cause my cousin Jenny called crying about maybe needing to end a pregnancy. She didn’t know squat about abortion laws here or where to go.
Starting Point: Zero Clarity
First thing? Grabbed my laptop off the coffee table. Typed “is abortion legal in my state” straight into Google. Damn thing showed me a bazillion sites – government pages, clinic lists, some sketchy political stuff. Took me 20 minutes just to figure out which links were legit. Government ones seemed safest.
Figuring Out Rights & Restrictions
Started reading this dry-as-dust state health department page. Scrolled forever just to see our state allows abortion BUT with stupid hurdles:
- Timeline nonsense: Only legal under 20 weeks except emergencies
- Mandatory crap: Needs “counseling” 24 hours before? What even?
- Parent headache: Minors gotta get parental okay or go through court
Felt my brain melting trying to understand lawyer-speak. Had to read three times just to get it.
Finding Real Clinics That Won’t Scam You
Googled “abortion clinics near me verified.” Clicked into three clinic sites. Checked each one’s “About” section like a hawk. Real ones had:
- Medical license numbers posted right there
- Actual doctors’ names and credentials
- Clear insurance/pricing pages without “just call us” dodges
Cross-checked one clinic against Planned Parenthood’s website – big relief seeing they matched.
Calling Places Like a Madwoman
Dialed the top two clinics using my ancient landline (cell signal sucked). First place had one of those “press 1 for appointments” robot ladies. Hit that button faster than a snake bite.
Got some lady chewing gum loud as hell. Asked point-blank:
“Y’all do abortions up to 12 weeks? Licensed?”
She sounded bored but confirmed everything. Even told me about payment help options without me asking. Gave me actual appointment dates – next Tuesday or Thursday morning.
What Actually Happens There
Made notes from health department brochures and clinic sites. They walk you through:
- Confirming pregnancy with ultrasound (ugh)
- Medical vs. surgical options based on how far along
- Weird state-mandated lecture about alternatives (eye roll)
- Aftercare stuff – pain meds, bleeding warnings, follow-ups
Copied all this into a Word doc for Jenny.
Sweaty Palms & Final Takeaways
Printed everything out. Hands were shaky handing it to Jenny yesterday. She hugged me crying saying she’d been lost for days.
Biggest reality smacks?
- Google lies: Half those “clinics” are crisis pregnancy centers faking services
- Rights change constantly: My state almost banned it last month!
- Real clinics don’t hide info: If they dodge license questions? Hang. Up.
Ended our talk telling her “Whatever you pick – just stay safe. Please.”
Hope nobody ever needs this crap… but if you do? Triple-check everything.
