Hawai’i is one of two states to adopt “Just in Case Abortion Pills” through a Planned Parenthood affiliate.
This is the first time a Planned Parenthood organization is offering abortion medication ahead of pregnancy. The goal is for patients to have it on hand so that they can end their pregnancy at home, on their own time, without needing to make an additional appointment.
The Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, and Kentucky, also known as PPGNHAIK, stated this service offers patients “the ability to obtain safe, effective medication abortion pills before they are pregnant — so they have them on hand if and when they need them.”
The medication is made up of a single dose of mifepristone and three doses of misoprostol — the same amount that is used in routine abortion pills. When administered properly, the combination of pills mimics the process of a miscarriage. The pills are safe to use through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the Chief of Clinical Transformation Officer at PPGNHAIK, said unwanted pregnancy can be a stressful time for patients, which can be heightened when navigating the steps of booking an appointment.
“This gives people the opportunity to take that control back and say, 'hey, I might not ever need this, but if I do, I have it already and I'm not going to have to worry about navigating all of those logistics',” McNicholas said.
She noted that Hawaiʻi is unique because so much of it is considered rural, meaning access to clinics that provide this care is especially limited. McNicholas added that these pills are provided to act as a safety net so that patients continue to have access to them, regardless of what changes may happen at the state or federal level.
“I think that we are in a scary time for access to sexual reproductive health care, but one of the things I think that we feel obligated to do in this moment, especially because we have such supportive states like Hawaiʻi, is not only to hold the line with access, but to push those boundaries and to expand where we can,” McNicholas said.
Patients 18 or older in Hawai’i and Washington can schedule a telehealth appointment or visit a Planned Parenthood clinic to receive the pills. They last up to two years.
