An abortion is a process
or procedure that ends a pregnancy. The term
abortion is usually used for an induced abortion,
which is when a person takes action to end a
pregnancy. Abortion is a basic health care need for
millions of people worldwide who can become
pregnant. In the United States, an estimated 1 in 4
women have an abortion in their lifetime.
While the need for
abortion is common, access to safe and legal
abortion services is increasingly limited in the
United States, following the Dobbs v. Jackson
Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court
decision in June 2022. Abortion is now banned or
extremely restricted in many U.S. states, denying
essential care to people who choose to end their
pregnancies as well as those who need treatment for
pregnancy loss.
Los Angeles County, with
the support of the state of California, is committed
to becoming an Abortion Safe Haven, where anyone who
needs an abortion can access it without barriers.
Conversations about
abortion are often clouded by misinformation. Please
explore this website to learn about abortion, find
local abortion and family planning resources, and
access variety of state and national resources.
Access to abortion is fundamental to the health of individuals, families, and communities and is a public health issue. In the United States, abortion is common and extremely safe. Despite its demonstrated safety record, abortion has been extensively regulated and restricted. Even before the Dobbs decision, access to abortion care was increasingly difficult for many Americans.
Research has proven that restrictions on abortion access cause harm to women’s physical and mental health as well as their social and economic well-being, and that of their children. The harms that result from barriers to abortion disproportionately impact the most vulnerable or marginalized people in our society, including people with low incomes; people of color; young people; people with disabilities; immigrants; people in rural communities; survivors of violence; lesbian, bisexual, queer women; and transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people.
Given the ongoing crisis of Black and Indigenous maternal and infant mortality, the abortion bans and restrictions many states have implemented are expected to result in additional illness and death.
For these reasons and more, access to abortion is a public health priority for the County of Los Angeles. Abortion also is a key reproductive justice issue—a component of the complex, intersecting rights and conditions that allow people of color to regain and maintain autonomy over their own bodies and pregnancies, their ability to have or not have children, and to raise the children they have in safe and sustainable communities.
Update
on Access to Abortion Pill, Mifepristone: Still Legal and
Accessible… For Now
Access to abortion is fundamental to the
health of individuals, families, and communities.
You may have heard that the U.S. Fifth
Circuit Court of Appeals vacated (set aside) a Texas U.S.
District Court’s ruling that would have taken the abortion pill,
mifepristone, off the market. This means that both the brand and
generic versions of mifepristone remain on the Food and
Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) approved drug list and continue
to be available for people seeking early abortion in California
and other states that have not restricted or banned it.
While strong evidence demonstrates that
mifepristone may safely be prescribed by telemedicine, dispensed
through the mail, and used up to and beyond 10 weeks estimated
gestational age, the Appeals Court sided with the Texas U.S.
District Court, rolling back mifepristone’s usage to in-person
visits and only up to seven weeks gestation. If allowed to
stand, this would impact all people seeking abortion care and
disproportionately harm our most marginalized communities,
specifically people of color, people with low incomes, people in
rural communities, and many other vulnerable populations who
already experience barriers to health care and abortion.
To be clear: For now, pending further
review by the U.S. Supreme Court, there will be no change in the
current availability of mifepristone to doctors or patients.
This means that mifepristone continues to be available for use
through 10 - 11 weeks estimated gestational age, can be accessed
through telehealth appointments, and can be dispensed by mail.
We want to ensure all communities in
LA County know that they continue to have access to abortion
care, including the abortion pill.