NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Women are turning to 'self-abortion' as a last resort in America as 'fake' clinics take over

By Elle Hardy
news.com.au·
21 Jan, 2017 01:36 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Women in America are turning to 'self abortion' after a raft of new laws making it harder to go to abortion clinics were introduced. Photo / 123RF

Women in America are turning to 'self abortion' after a raft of new laws making it harder to go to abortion clinics were introduced. Photo / 123RF

When Lee, 30, fell pregnant last year she knew she wanted an abortion, reports news.com.au.

Under severe financial and physical strain, she Googled nearby facilities and made an appointment with a "pregnancy information centre".

But Lee is from Corpus Christi, Texas, where "pregnancy information centres" are anything but.

"They gave me fake statistics - high death rates from abortion, suicide brought on by depression, getting breast cancer because you aborted and didn't breast feed, the high probability that you'll ruin your cervix if you go through the surgical option," she tells news.com.au.

"They told me that medical is not reliable and I will most likely birth a deformed foetus, and that they let anyone do a surgical abortion."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There are estimated to be 4000 such clinics in the United States, known as Crisis Pregnancy Centres, dwarfing the 700 legitimate abortion clinics operating nationally. This isn't just "fake news", but fake institutions - with real and damning consequences.

While Lee realised the centre was a ruse, many in her situation have been pressured to go through with a pregnancy, or fallen victim to the tactic of promising an appointment with a physician that keeps moving until the woman is beyond the legal limit for termination.

It sounds extreme, but while the United States was rocked by Donald Trump's election last November, an equally remarkable political phenomenon was taking place.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Democratic representation at a state level dropped to its lowest since the Civil War, as Republicans captured the legislature or governorship in 40 out of the 50 states. The key issue that unites America's red state leaders? Rolling back women's reproductive rights.

"There has already been an unprecedented 334 abortion restrictions enacted in 32 states since 2010," said Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues manager at advocacy group the Guttmacher Institute.
"This year, we are expecting an all-out assault on family planning and abortion."

Alana, 29, is from Phelps County, Missouri - a state with only one abortion clinic. "It's two hours east of where I live, and there is a 72 hour waiting period between appointments and mandatory counselling."

"The clinic didn't accept my health insurance, so I would have had to pay for the abortion out of pocket, as well as fuel, a hotel room, and my follow-up appointment. That's easily $800 - an entire month of pay for me," she said.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

Lover scammed of $28k

21 Jan 04:00 PM

The prevailing climate has spurred a growing community of women to circumvent politicians and community taboos, and help each other. "I turned to online forums for support from women who've gone through it," said Alana. "In the Bible Belt, it isn't something you talk about out loud."

There are scores of tightly guarded social media groups, as well as a number of abortion sites where women share information and experiences. Internet searches for "self abortion" have spiked over 40 per cent since 2011, while a recent study estimated that at least 100,000 women in Texas have terminated their own pregnancy.

After her experience, Lee joined those 100,000 women, deciding to try her luck with online pharmaceutical providers. "The hardest part of finding medication was figuring out if it was a scam," she said.

"Will I get the medication I need? Will it kill me? What happens if I have to go to the ER because I'm bleeding too much? Will I go to jail?"

On top of the trauma of performing the termination illegally, women are feeling alienated within their own communities.

"The loneliness of knowing that people you love may disown you for what you've done was the hardest part for me," Lee says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Alana felt similarly cornered yet determined to follow through with her decision. "I looked into web forums where women have posted about sourcing their own pills. There were a few horror stories - one teenage girl who died of an infection after doing a home abortion stuck in my mind," she said.

"That's the biggest risk, that you won't expel everything and die of sepsis. The other big risk is bleeding out."

Terrified, alone, and unable to take time off work, Alana used her weekend to conduct a major medical procedure herself. "All I had was my pug. She stayed right by my side the whole time and snuggled with me harder when I cried."

The obvious question, with the country's maternal mortality rates on the rise, and studies showing that access to contraception leads to lower abortion rates, is why conservative legislatures are so determined to cut funding and restrict family planning services.

"Republicans saw in 2011 that a lot of the issues they ran on, such as jobs and the economy, were going to be nearly impossible to legislate, so they turned to social issues, and abortion rose to the top," said Ms Nash.

"They're holding tight on abortion and guns because they are losing other issues such as LGBTQ rights and marijuana policy."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

For Lee, who's still recovering from depression and anxiety from her experiences, "they seem to think that if they aren't controlling someone's choices, they aren't fulfilling their destiny".

Alana agrees that this is only the beginning. "There is no doubt in my mind that more restrictive laws are going to be passed over the next four years, and women are going to die as a result," she said.

Elle Hardy is an Australian writer based in the South of the United States. Follow her on Twitter @ellehardytweets.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Smokefree Rockquest Wairarapa Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Lifestyle

Smokefree Rockquest Northland Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Lifestyle

Smokefree Rockquest Far North Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Smokefree Rockquest Far North Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Smokefree Rockquest Far North Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Highlights from Far North's Smokefree Rockquest Regional Finals 2025. Video / Supplied

Smokefree Rockquest Wairarapa Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Smokefree Rockquest Wairarapa Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Smokefree Rockquest Northland Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Smokefree Rockquest Northland Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Showquest Christchurch Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Showquest Christchurch Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP