A low-income woman is more likely to have the abortion care she needs delayed for 3 weeks or longer.  During those weeks, she may be on the phone trying to find a provider and arranging for an appointment.  She might be struggling take time off work, make arrangements for her children, and scrape together the cost of care. As time ticks by, her efforts may be further complicated by gaps in her knowledge of pregnancy and abortion services, as well as language barriers for immigrant women and other non-English speakers.  As weeks pass, abortion services move further out of reach, as care becomes more expensive and procedures become more difficult to find.

What if frontline clinicians like nurses could give these women better information and referrals?  What if medication abortion was available to low-income women in the community health centers that already serve them?

The Low Income Access and Referrals Initiative acts on the belief that many of obstacles faced by low-income women can be removed by working with healthcare providers to provide abortion services and information in a readily accessible context.  Our goal is to improve the information, referrals and services low-income women receive and to give healthcare workers the tools to better address women’s needs.  AAP has two projects underway aimed to help low-income women, working with community health centers and supporting women who are self-inducing abortion.

By exploring new strategies and models to help low-income women, the Low Income Access and Referral Initiative provides alternative, complementary approaches to legislative action and direct funding.  Engaging and supporting healthcare providers to improve access for underserved women is one of the many ways AAP is using innovative solutions to address gaps in abortion access.