This guide uses information from the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher Institute and more to explain how to access abortion pills in Ohio.
The main takeaway: Ohio state laws significantly restrict residents from getting abortion pills in the mail, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it is safe and legal to do so.
You can get abortion pills through an in-person visit to clinics throughout Ohio, but other experts offer ways to avoid the mail restrictions (they do caution there may be legal risk with this.) In-person visits can be more than twice the cost of getting pills online.
Read on for more information on getting abortion pills online in Ohio, why it is so hard to get abortion pills in Ohio, in-person clinics that offer abortion pills in Ohio, and the basics on how abortion pills work.
Online-Only Options for Abortion Pills in Ohio
Because Republican officials in Ohio have made it hard to get abortion pills by mail (more details below), Plan C, a women’s health research organization, has put together a guide on how to access these drugs outside of abortion clinics.
The options they link to include…
- A telehealth service that has you meet virtually with a healthcare provider and then will mail pills to you
- Websites that will directly mail pills to you
- Mail forwarding services
- Community networks
The costs of these options range from around $100 to $300. You can see the options they have vetted here. Plan C does caution that there are potential legal risks associated with getting pills through these methods, and has an FAQ on that here plus ways to get legal advice.
How Ohio Makes It Hard to Get Safe and Legal Abortion Pills Online (And Who Is Responsible)
In 2022, conservative justices in the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the famous 1973 case that guaranteed women in the United States could access abortion care, regardless of what state they live in.
Ohio Republicans passed an extremely restrictive law in 2019, banning abortion after 6 weeks (only about 2 weeks after you can find out you are pregnant.) Once Roe vs. Wade was overturned, that law technically went into effect. But abortion rights activists sued, and the case is still pending in the Ohio State Supreme Court.
If you want to keep abortion access in the state of Ohio, you can sign a petition here. If organizers get enough signatures, you’ll have a chance to vote in November 2023 to permanently keep abortion access in Ohio.
Beyond just accessing abortion, Republicans in Ohio have added lots of hurdles that women in other parts of America don’t have to deal with. That includes…
- Being forced to have an ultrasound and being asked if you want to see the ultrasound (not for any medical reason, just to make you feel bad)
- Being forced to wait 24 hours and receive “counsel” from a physician. Many American women don’t have this requirement (imagine if they set up a waiting period and required counseling for getting erectile dysfunction pills!)
- Being forced to go in-person to a clinic with a physician twice to get abortion pills, when they can safely be dispensed by pharmacies and via telehealth options (more on that below.)
The Food and Drug Administration in January 2023 announced that under federal law, pharmacies could get qualified to ship abortion pills directly to patients. But a 2004 law passed by Republicans in Ohio bans pharmacists from dispensing abortion pills…even though the FDA says they are qualified to do so.
And then Dave Yost, Ohio’s state attorney general and a Republican, sent a letter to Walgreens and CVS warning them not to comply with the FDA rules. Yost said he was protecting the “health, safety, and well-being of women,” but he is not a healthcare professional.
If you want your voice to be heard in Ohio, you also have an important federal Senate race coming up in November 2024. It’s a long ways away, but Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will be up for re-election. He has supported abortion access, and it is important for Democrats to keep his seat to prevent a national abortion ban from taking effect. Learn more here.
In-Person Appointments for Abortion Pills in Ohio
The following list of in-clinic abortion providers offer medication abortions (and surgical abortion services in some cases) throughout Ohio and in surrounding states. Many clinics offer financial assistance (via abortion funds) if needed.
Akron
Northeast Ohio Women’s Center:
- Weeks pregnant: 9.6 or less
- Number of visits: 2 visits, first with ultrasound but the second visit can be via Zoom
- Cost: Call clinic for details
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Bedford Heights
Planned Parenthood Bedford Health Center
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: Unclear
- Cost: Call clinic for details
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Cincinnati
Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio:
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: Unclear
- Cost: Call clinic for details
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Cleveland
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: 2 visits, they say the first visit will last 3-4 hours and will include an ultrasound
- Cost: $565
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Columbus
Planned Parenthood East Columbus Surgical Center (Planned Parenthood):
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: Unclear
- Cost: Call clinic for details
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: 2 visits, they say the first visit will include an ultrasound
- Cost: $625
- Surgical abortion offered: No
Kettering
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: 2 visits, first visit includes ultrasound and in total takes 1.5-2.5 hours
- Cost: Must call clinic
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Shaker Heights
Northeast Ohio Women’s Center:
- Weeks pregnant: 9.6 or less
- Number of visits: 2 visits, first with ultrasound but the second visit can be via Zoom
- Cost: Call clinic for details
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Toledo
- Weeks pregnant: 9.6 or less
- Number of visits: 2 visits, first with ultrasound but the second visit can be via Zoom
- Cost: Call clinic for details
- Surgical abortion offered: No
OUT OF STATE
Detroit, Michigan
- Weeks pregnant: 11 or less
- Number of visits: 1 visit, no tests required for people 9 weeks or less
- Cost: Call clinic for details
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Planned Parenthood – Pittsburgh Family Planning Health Center
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: 1 visit
- Cost: $435
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
Allegheny Reproductive Health Center:
- Weeks pregnant: 10 or less
- Number of visits: 1 visit and no ultrasound required
- Cost: Must call clinic, cash payment only
- Surgical abortion offered: Yes
How the Abortion Pill Works
The abortion pill, also known as a “medication abortion” or medical abortion, allows you to end an early pregnancy (typically before 10-11 weeks) largely at home, using a combination of medications known as mifepristone and misprostol. You can do this with health care professionals’ help, or on your own, known as a “self-managed abortion.” Sometimes blood tests are involved, but they are not always required.
The first pill stops a hormone called progesterone, which keeps the pregnancy from growing. The second pill causes the uterus to cramp and push out the pregnancy, just as you would experience with a heavy period or miscarriage. In most cases following this two-drug regimen you would take the mifepristone pill first, and then take misoprostol 24 hours later. The World Health Organization has backed abortion pills as safe and effective, in addition to the FDA.
SOURCES:
State Ultrasound Requirements in Abortion Procedure | KFF
Just The Pill – Abortion Pills Delivered Private & Confidential
Counseling and Waiting Periods for Abortion | Guttmacher Institute
Legal Challenges to the FDA Approval of Medication Abortion Pills | KFF
