, the state’s providers reported 7,930 additional abortions — one of the largest increases in the nation, according to the. CAF witnessed the crush of patients firsthand: Calls to the helpline increased around 400 percent in the past year, with the organization sometimes logging as many as 100 callers in a single day.
Now that North Carolina’s 12-week ban is in effect, CAF has been strategizing on how to best serve its clients, including working with other funds and clinics to get patients to more permissive places such as Virginia, D.C., and Maryland, or redirecting patients to South Carolina, where abortion is currently legal up to 22 weeks as“We’re hearing from folks saying, like, ‘I have a 12-hour drive,’ which means gas money, assuming you have a car. You might have to ask a friend to drive you.
In one call I overheard, which lasted about 15 minutes, Justine patiently walked the client through the information she would need. Based on Justine’s kind tone and the way she sought clarification, it seemed the person on the other side of the line was very nervous. “Do you know what the total cost of the procedure was when you made the appointment?” Justine asked, writing down that the abortion would cost $500.
The staffers don’t ask callers why they want an abortion — CAF doesn’t collect any personal or demographic information, in fact — but that doesn’t stop many of them from sharing their stories. “People are very forthcoming with their circumstances. I guess in an era of GoFundMe, people feel like they have to perform what’s happened, perform a trauma for you,” Justine said. “That’s just always so difficult.
The organization anecdotally has seen an overwhelming number of out-of-state patients over the past year. But with the 12-week ban now in place, in addition to other restrictions such as multiple in-person clinic visits that require a 72-hour waiting period between each one, it’s likely that these patients will circumvent the Carolinas entirely when trying to access care.
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