The Power Of 21st Century Choice
By Amy Merrill
Amy Merrill is a social change director at Eyes Open.
Did you know that a safe at-home abortion is now possible?
Five years ago, my colleagues and I realized that, despite these pills being proven safe and effective and used around the world by millions to self-manage abortions every year, most people in the U.S. didn’t really understand abortion pills at all; how they’re used to safely end an early pregnancy, both in-clinic and at home, and where people are finding them online to take control of their health.
In response to the need for trusted information, we created Plan C: a research-driven platform on abortion pill access, including data and vetted resources, tested sources of pills, and advocacy for universal access to a safe home abortion.
Since then, we've watched traffic to the site skyrocket. In April 2020, when the pandemic hit, our team recognized a silver lining: ‘safe at home’ orders created opportunities for medical professionals to realize their potential as agents of change, step up and begin serving patients remotely, with pills shipped directly to homes.
This is exactly what happened.
We partnered with the University of Washington to create a Toolkit for Medical Providers, and advised female-founded startups like Choix, Just the Pill, Hey Jane, and Honeybee Health as they came online to serve the need. We redesigned our Guide to Pills as a state-by-state directory of all services currently available, from hotlines to abortion funds to online pharmacies. And we launched an information campaign with the idea that everyone in the US has a right to know what abortion pills are, how they are used, and where they can be accessed affordably and safely for a home abortion, right now.
This is what 21st century choice looks like.
Amy Merrill is a musician, designer, writer, and problem-solver, operating at the intersection of arts, social change, and technology. When she is not leading initiatives for reproductive access campaign Plan C or designing websites for conscious clients with her company Eyes Open , she and her partner are the entertainment for space-folk concept band Formerly Alien.
@plancpills; https://www.plancpills.org/; https://facebook.com/plancpills ; https://instagram.com/plancpills https://www.linkedin.com/company/18568380
““When the pandemic hit, our team recognized a silver lining: ‘safe at home’ orders created opportunities for medical professionals to realize their potential as agents of change, step up and begin serving patients remotely....” —Amy Merrill #PowerToChangeStories ”