Plan C

Plan C is a non-profit organization and campaign that provides educational resources and information to increase access to medication abortion (abortion with pills) in the United States.^[1][2] It was founded in 2015 by Francine Coeytaux, Elisa Wells, and Amy Merrill to advocate for medication abortion and connect women with abortion pill providers across the US.^[3]

Plan C

Formation	2015
Founders	Francine Coeytaux Elisa Wells Amy Merrill
Type	non-profit organization
Website	www.plancpills.org

Objectives

Plan C conducts research and publicly shares information about how people are accessing mifepristone and misoprostol abortion pills in the US. Their stated goal is to transform access to abortion in the United States by normalizing the self-directed option of abortion pills by mail and placing the ability to end an early pregnancy directly in the hands of anyone who seeks it.^[4][5]

Actions

Plan C works in 4 ways.

1. They conduct research and share information regarding how people are accessing abortion pills in the United States, including domestic and global evidence about the safety and efficacy of medication abortion.
2. They work with health care providers, reproductive health organizations, and technology innovators to establish relationships and connect individuals.
3. They work to de-stigmatize and normalize self-managed abortion and advocate for universal over-the-counteraccess to abortion pills.
4. They work to disrupt the unjust barriers to access created by courts and lawmakers, and put agency back in the hands of individuals by bringing public attention to the transformative nature of abortion pills.^[5]

History

See also: Abortion-rights movements

1990's

During the 1990s, Elisa Wells and Francine Coeytaux were part of the team that successfully managed to get Plan B, or the morning after pill, approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sale.^[5][6]

2016

In 2016, as the U.S. Presidential administration turned over, Plan C launched their website to share information about online abortion pill providers and the self-managed abortion process. The Plan C team began researching websites calling themselves online pharmacies and claiming to sell abortion pills, tested the pills received by mail from those websites, and published their findings as the Plan C Report Card.^[5][7]

2018

In 2018, Plan C played a significant role in the launch of the CHAT study (California Home Abortion by Telehealth) in which researchers at the University of California, San Francisco conducted a study to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of individuals who utilize virtual clinics that serve patients throughout the United States.^[8] This study was a crucial step towards not only normalizing telehealth services and online access to pills but also in documenting and researching their effectiveness and safety, and validating them as a viable option for individuals seeking reproductive healthcare.^[8]

2019

As of 2019, there were dozens of websites selling abortion pills and the Plan C website was receiving over 50,000 visitors per month from individuals across all 50 states in search of information on abortion pill access and reproductive rights.^[9][10]

2020

In April 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community expedited the adoption of "no-test" protocols, which facilitated online abortion care, telehealth start-ups, and more clinics serving patients online.^[11] As certain states deemed abortions nonessential medicine, and the majority of the country was subjected to "safer at home" orders restricting access to basic medical care, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) temporarily lifted restrictions on shipping mifepristone.^[12] During this time, Plan C issued a "call to providers" to inform the medical community of the growing need and the opportunity to serve patients by offering telehealth abortion services.^[13] Several providers launched startups, including Abortion on Demand, Choix, Hey Jane, among others.^[13]

2022

In 2022, Plan C expanded their online resource directory to include organizations that offer the advance provision of abortion pills, a service that creates the option to order abortion pills in advance so they will be available if they are needed at some point in the future. Organizations listed by Plan C that offer the advance provision service include Aid Access and Forward Midwifery.^[14][15]

2023

With the Dobbs decision and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Plan C has responded by increasing the information they make available regarding alternate ways to access abortion pills and resources to help people safely self-manage their own abortions at home.^[5]

2024

Due to increased competition among providers to appear in the first few results of Plan C' Guide, the costs for abortion pills by mail without clinician consultation decreasing to $25-28 in 2024.^[16] While the cost for abortion pills by mail including a telehealth consultation with a US-based clinician averaged $150, the lowest cost telehealth provider had begun offering their service in all 50 states for a minimum payment of $5.^[17][18]

Plan C documentary

Main article: Plan C (film)

The Plan C organization was the subject of a documentary film of the same name, Plan C, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2023.^{[19] [20]} The film focuses on Plan C's ongoing grassroots efforts to expand access to abortion across the United States via the distribution of at-home abortion pills ordered from the internet and delivered through the mail.^[21][22] In May 2024, the film won a Webby Award for creatively using social media for advocacy. ^[23]