Well, it didn’t take long: After Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, observant users noticed that the reproductiverights.gov site had been quietly taken down, along with its reproductive health care resources. Although the site was later said to be was brought back by Skimm on January 22nd (slow clap), it’s obviously not a permanent fix.
“Reproductiverights.gov’s content is available — content can never truly be deleted from the Internet — but the site itself has not been restored,” said Rebecca Nall, founder and executive director of INeedAnA. “There are probably thousands of places that URL has been linked to and now the people who click on those links will be faced with a dead end unless the government fully restores it.”
The removal of reproductiverights.gov is still a worrying signal too the future of reproductive healthbut all hope is not lost. “Obviously, we can’t control what information the administration puts out,” said Nicole Cushman, CEO of Charley the abortion cure. “But we can spread the word about the many reliable resources available to learn about abortion options, and they’re still going strong.”
In an effort to keep sexual and reproductive health care accessible, we rounded up some of the best resources to have at your fingertips. . . and we promise not to take them down. Read on for expert-recommended options, along with action options and red flags to watch for in your quest for accurate information.
Experts featured in this article:
Rebecca Nall is the founder and executive director of INeedAnA, an organization that provides accurate resources for those seeking abortion care.
Nicole Cushman is an advocate, educator and executive director of the abortion cure Charley.
Rachel Fey is Vice President of Policy & Strategic Partnerships at Power to Decide, a resource hub for reproductive and sexual care.
Reproductive Health Resources
The fate of reproductiverights.gov does not bode well for the rest of reproductive health care. Stay safe and prepared with the following 12 sexual and reproductive health resources:
- Winx health: Winx is a great resource for sexual and vaginal health care. Here you can shop emergency contraceptionas well as home testing for pregnancy, UTI and ovulation. You can also find answers to frequently asked health care questions on the company’s blog, “Real Talk.”
- Live for your V: This is your go-to place for sustainable period care, including menstrual pads, menstrual cups and organic tampons. The Live blog is another good source for accurate information about reproductive and sexual health.
- Charlie: “Charley is a chatbot designed to answer the most common questions abortion seekers have when seeking care,” explains Cushman. “Charley has information about both the pill and abortion procedures, and we refer them to organizations where they can take the next step in pursuing either of these options.” Another important point? The company takes care to keep user information secure (that means no cookies or tracking tools).
- Plan C: This site focuses specifically on maintenance access to abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) in each state. “What we’ve seen is that the majority of our users come from states where abortion is banned or restricted, and they also really show a preference for abortion pills and abortion pills by mail,” Cushman said, referring to Charley bot users. You can also use Plan C to order pills in advance (just in case) and read more about medical abortions.
- Miscarriage and abortion hotline: “The Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline is a toll-free hotline staffed by doctors and other clinicians who volunteer their time to provide medical information and support to people who may be experiencing a miscarriage or have recently had an abortion,” says Cushman. That includes those who may have taken abortion pills at home. You can call or text the helpline at 1-833-246-2632 for confidential support within an hour (just be sure to check the website for their exact hours).
- INeedan A: If you’re looking for abortion care, skip Google and go here. “Built by people who have had abortions, we have everything you need to know, including your nearest clinics, local laws, support organizations, stories and more,” says Nall. “For people in restricted states in particular, we can help you compare the pros and cons of traveling to another state versus safely ordering pills online so you can access the best abortion for you.”
- You always have options: For a more comprehensive summary, this site lists resources for reproductive health care, abortion pills, financial and travel assistance, and helpful hotlines.
- Bed sides: Bedsider is designed to make sex education more accessible – whether you’ve never received it or need a refresher. It’s especially useful for “learning what birth control methods might work best for you. Learn about healthy relationships, STIs, testing and prevention,” says Rachel Fey of Power to Decide. “All those things that go into living your best life when it comes to your sexual and reproductive health.”
- AbortionFinder: Abortion Finder can help you find the closest abortion provider geographically, but it also helps you search for providers by state. “Sometimes people go to the state that’s closest to them, but sometimes people go where they have family or friends or support or they can get a cheap flight,” Fey says. Not to mention, AbortionFinder is accurate down to the minute. “When a policy changes or a clinic opens, we make sure it’s available in our database,” says Fey. The same applies to financial and logistical support. “So not only can you find where to go for abortion care, but (also) where you might be able to go for practical and logistical support like travel and lodging and funding.”
- Power to decide: This is a great resource for high-quality, accurate information about reproductive and sexual care. Here you’ll find platforms like Bedsider and AbortionFinder, plus additional ways to get involved in the fight for reproductive rights.
- Abortion Policy API: This resource is updated daily by abortion policy experts who track all of the ever-changing laws, Cushman says. You can access the tool through Charley – where information is automatically updated when a law or policy changes – but you can also request access directly through the AbortionPolicyAPI website. That way, you can get the most “accurate details about the situation, where they live and what their nearest clinic might be,” says Cushman.
- Hold fast: Euki is a non-tracking period tracking app you. That way, you can still maintain control over your own sexual and reproductive health care. . . minus the fear of your data being used for potential criminal prosecution.
Action object
In addition to these online resources, our experts also had some recommendations to keep you safe on the reproductive health care front. Here are some of their suggested actions.
- Protect your personal data: “We know that (for) the majority of abortion seekers, the place they start is a simple Google search, and those kinds of things can leave digital traces,” Cushman says. To be extra safe, consider using a VPN, incognito or private browsing modes, clearing your browsing history, clearing cookies, or using encrypted communication platforms like Signal. Still, these steps don’t always feel realistic for some people. That’s why “at Charley, we’ve taken the responsibility to ensure that our bot and our website are secure and won’t put people at further risk of surveillance and criminalization,” says Cushman.
- Spreading the word: If you find a source of good information, share it with your group. “When you get great information from a site like Bedside or AbortionFinder, sharing it with your friends and family is a really important way to help,” says Fey. We tend to trust the people in our personal networks, and when access to reproductive health care is threatened, disseminating accurate information and resources is critical.
- Deletes your period tracker: “I usually tell my friends, especially if they live in banned states, don’t download period trackers and stuff,” Fey says. You might also consider switching to an app like Euki: a period tracker with no third-party tracking and data deletion available.
- Store up: “Having things like emergency contraception on hand is a good idea,” says Fey. In fact, some people may have been stock up on abortion pills for months now. Just remember that everything has a shelf life, and where you store your medicine matters. For example, storing your medicine in a bathroom where there is a lot of steam and moisture can shorten its shelf life, says Fey. “So be smart about storing things and get the most out of them.”
What to look out for
Now that (accurate) reproductive health resources are getting harder to find, it’s also hard to say what we can and can’t trust. “Anti-abortion resources are really good at looking like the real deal. That’s why it’s always important to verify that the clinic or support organization you’re going to call is listed on ineedana.com,” says Nall. “If you can’t find them on ineedana.com and the site claims abortion increases the risk of breast cancer or their headline is ‘free ultrasound!’ with no other services listed – you’re probably on an anti fake abortion clinic page.” Check out more information about fake clinics listed here.
“A lot of those kinds of centers will be called things like ‘women’s centers’ or ‘pregnancy centers’ and they’ll often advertise free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. They might talk about offering ‘abortion options counseling’ but if you read the fine print, they’re very clear that not only do they not provide abortion care, but they also will not refer abortion providers, Cushman adds.
IN a survey from 2024 of 1,203 participants ages 15-29 and assigned female at birth (AFAB), about 80 percent wanted information about birth control and abortion, but only 33 percent and 3 percent, respectively, received it in the past year. Not only is there an obvious information gap among young people, but there is also a growing concern about the spread of misinformation.
“We’re facing — not just in reproductive health, and not just in public health, but in general — an onslaught of myths and misinformation,” Fey says. “People are going to have to be very savvy consumers to sort that out.” Reviewed resources, such as those listed here, can help.
Bottom line
“We know that there is a possibility that there is a federal abortion ban,” Cushman says. It could be after a certain gestational age or a certain number of weeks into the pregnancy, but either way, Cushman admits a ban would be devastating. “There are also some potential actions the FDA could take to limit access to abortion pills,” she says. Yet there are also some reasons for hope.
“States like New York, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, have already passed measures to protect abortion providers who offer telehealth in those states and are really trying to expand access within their borders as well as by mail,” Cushman said. That’s not to mention all the advocates and providers still working to protect access to basic health care.
“In my own personal life. I think about: how can I help communities in my neighborhood that have fewer resources?” says Fey. “When we think about the world we’re in, there’s a degree of unpredictability in it, and we’ve seen that with abortion care.” Ultimately, it’s about recognizing what might happen in the future and taking appropriate precautions without panicking. A little consolation? “I definitely think there’s still hope,” Fey says.
Chandler Plante (she/her) is the assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of experience in professional journalism, and has previously worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie and Bustle Digital Group.
