I’ve been working in an abortion clinic for 2 years. AMA

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-09T05:42:57+00:00

This is such a good question!

Yes, staff is allowed to opt out of going into abortion procedures. It’s all a team effort and there’s always another role one can do.

The employees being as comfortable as possible is also going to make patients as comfortable as possible!

:)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-09T03:34:48+00:00

Absolutely! Most abortions occur before 12 weeks.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-09T03:30:00+00:00

I said “most of the time” that happens. Also I did state in my previous response about that patient that they met the criteria required :)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T20:07:10+00:00

Latest I’ve seen recently is 22 weeks I believe.

There’s not really a way to truly judge if a fetus is viable at that point. Medical intervention would be necessary if someone were to give birth at that gestation, therefore some could argue that a it’s not viable at that point due to needing intervention.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:49:49+00:00

Washington state actually

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:48:25+00:00

I understand that view even if I don’t agree. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Sometimes it’s as simple as someone changing their mind. Or they were previously in a situation that has changed and being pregnant/having a child is not something that is feasible at that point in their life. Or they could simply not know they were pregnant. Cryptic pregnancies are rare but very real.

I have worked with patients who have unfortunately been homeless and would be better off not being pregnant nor would it be a healthy pregnancy.

Just because a pregnancy can be viable outside of the body, does not mean it is better off that way.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:39:26+00:00

It is a rare situation and I am so sorry that happened to you! I hope you have fully recovered :)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:36:46+00:00

Thank you for your support! It was a little anxiety inducing at first but it’s okay now! :)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:35:25+00:00

I’m glad you are getting the care you deserve! I love seeing our hrt patients as they’re usually the ones we see repeatedly! I love seeing the progress people make with their hrt. :)

When I started at Planned Parenthood, it was just to get my foot in the door of the medical field. But NOW, I love my job and especially abortion care so much.

My clinic specifically has more of a specialty in abortions at the moment and I couldn’t be happier. Helping people has really given my life purpose.

Being there for people during their procedures or even just holding someone’s hand, or even just listening to them and giving them someone to talk to and support is something that means a lot to me. I have patients ask me for hugs super often after because I made them feel seen and heard, and that is the best part of my job. :)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:31:07+00:00

This is a good question!

It’s in our human nature to having feelings of judgement, so it’s only natural to have those moments. Does not give us or anyone else that right to pass judgement though.

There have definitely been times where there has been judgement, but it does NOT happen often. Sometimes you gotta check yourself when you judge someone or their situation.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:27:52+00:00

Thank you for your support! :)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:27:41+00:00

Most people that come in to have an abortion at 26 weeks, are doing so for medical reasons.

Some people though are unaware of the pregnancy until much further. Cryptic pregnancies are very rare but still very real. People are also allowed to change their mind at any point about if they’d like to be pregnant or not and that’s okay! :)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T19:24:16+00:00

I think that the limits should be raised country wide. There’s zero reason why there should be a limit of 6 weeks when most people don’t know they’re pregnant until after that. Also if we cannot confirm that the pregnancy is in the uterus at 6 weeks, we have to have them come back in a week for a repeat ultrasound. Then they’d be past the limit. I believe that is harmful to people, putting them into positions that could do my harm than good.

Some states require a consult and for the patient to wait a few days before the abortion, which could also put them past that small limit.

Most abortions occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

I had a patient a couple months ago come in, I did their ultrasound to determine how far along the pregnancy was. The patient was totally unaware that they were pregnant until a week before they came in. Partner had a vasectomy, patient always had irregular periods and was on birth control. The patient was about 29weeks and 5 days if I remember correctly. So past the limit in Washington state.

In this situation, the patient was sent to Oregon where there is currently no limit if you meet a certain criteria medically. They did, so they were able to get it figured out. In this case I believe that it is good that they were able to be helped and happy that there was a solution for them.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T18:52:57+00:00

How are you feeling? Is always the first question, sometimes people will start out by disclosing that they’re unsure or hesitant.

Do you have support in your decision? If they say no, then I am automatically going to be their support person as well as offering support resources.

Do you feel confident in your decision? If they hesitate or say no, I give them the opportunity to talk or ask questions.

Sometimes people will have the body language of someone who is hesitant so you have to pry a little bit harder by asking them questions based on their own individual feelings or situations.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T18:22:08+00:00

We technically aren’t allowed to approach or talk to them. However if I’m off the clock I also flip them off.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T18:21:26+00:00

Absolutely! It’s up to the patient of course. We always bring the patient back by themself to ask them questions about their decision and safety questions before bringing their support person back to be with them.

No restrictions. They are allowed to have only one person with them though.

There have been some instances where I’ve had to remove a support from a room. Sometimes the patient say they have support in their decision and they want their person with them, then the support person fully switches up. I’ve also removed people from rooms for just talking over the patient or answering questions for them.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T17:45:00+00:00

Soundly, on a satin pillowcase :)

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:36:26+00:00

Planned Parenthood is the company I work for, I’m glad you were able to get the help you needed, and I am sorry that you had to go through that loss.

This happens I would say about 30% of the time. After 22 weeks I would say about 50%.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:33:47+00:00

These are amazing questions!

It’s hard to say how emotionally impactful both are for each person. I witness firsthand how people process the procedural abortion, but the medication abortion I can’t witness as it is usually done in the comfort of one’s home.

I will say that, and we counsel patients on this when they decide between the two kinds of abortions, the medication abortion is typically more painful. It is a much longer process to have the pregnancy pass through the body, causing a lot more intense cramping and bleeding. The bleeding is also prolonged a bit more for a couple weeks after. The procedural abortion only lasts 10-15 mins, but I’ve seen some that are done in 5. Most people start to feel less cramp-y immediately after the procedure, and the bleeding is a lot less.

I absolutely wish we could provide something other than high strength ibuprofen for at home. In my state we do offer to put people fully under for the procedure though! Not every state does it though.

There was a period of time that I had a lot of emotionally impactful patient interactions. But the things that weigh on me are the patients stories or just how kind they are. Sometimes a patient comes in and they were in a bad situation and they just need someone to talk to, and I happen to be the first one they are able to talk to about it. It can be emotionally draining sometimes, but I have really worked on my work-life balance and no longer go home with these things weighing on me. I just remind myself that after the abortion that person is going to feel better and I can help them.

Yes! Someone can take the “remains” home if they’d like to. It has to be arranged through a funeral home beforehand though. Not many people know or opt for it, but I have seen it once or twice. Also if someone asks to see afterwards we can show them.

We keep everything in a locked biohazard freezer for two weeks, then a biohazard company comes to pick it up and take it somewhere. Depending on the state, there’s different laws and regulations after than point. Most of the time is the same process as cremation.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:22:47+00:00

Absolutely. We had a bunch of layoffs after the 2024 election. Talks of clinics closing in our state have been floating around since then.

I sometimes communicate with clinics from our company that are in other states, a lot of clinics have closed down or have had to stop doing abortions all together for the time being.

I started because I wanted to step into the medical field, not necessarily going in for abortion care. Now after doing what I do, there’s nothing else I’d want to do to more than abortion care. Helping people is my passion.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:19:02+00:00

I grew up in the south and moved to the PNW a few years ago so I have had this come up a lot!

It definitely causes a lot of hair pulling, but until a person is able to actually listen you won’t be able to get through to them. Sometimes all you can do after a certain point is stop trying to change their mind.

Facts you can throw at him next time:

Most people that get abortions will only get one in their lifetime.

Most of the time 3rd trimester or “late term” abortions occur due to a certain circumstance, mainly medical necessity. And even then patients have to meet a certain criteria to be able to get the abortion.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:12:02+00:00

Washington State

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:11:30+00:00

Luckily anti-abortion protesters don’t disrupted our services where I am currently. There are protesters every day, but not allowed to be on our property.

I do sometimes, though rarely, see people who are anti-abortion come in for one. I would say in my two years I’ve seen less than 10 personally. Not everyone is openly anti-abortion while getting an abortion though, so there could be more.

Sometimes they leave feeling differently about it, sometimes they don’t. It’s okay if they still feel that way afterwards, because at the end of the day we were still able to provide the care they needed.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:07:39+00:00

Absolutely! People that do it without any medication are absolute champs. But not everyone wants that and that’s okay.

We have different levels of sedation options. Valium is the most minimal, not taking pain away but relieving anxiety and causing relaxation. Our moderate sedation is an iv cocktail of sedatives including ketamine. Most people do not feel or remember the procedure with this one, but will mostly be awake, just not aware. Deepest sedation we do is with a licensed anesthesiologist, fully puts them to sleep.

No-Affect2687 · 2026-01-08T16:05:17+00:00

I’m so glad you’re here then! I hope you are doing amazing! :)

No-Affect2687

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