It’s early May, and M. is calling from a state in the Southeast that bans abortions after six weeks. M. told me she was eight weeks pregnant, and I could hear the uneasiness and fear in her voice. A West Indian woman in her late twenties. M. says that she cannot afford the cost of the abortion as well as the travel expenses to New York.

“I can only stay two days,” he says. “I have children at home to look after.”

I work at the NYC Department of Health’s Abortion Access Center. launched a few months later the Supreme CourtRoe v., which allows states to ban or restrict abortion. The 2022 Dobbs v. Wade case overturned. With the Jackson decision, we provide confidential assistance in finding an abortion provider here in New York City.

Women like M., from their teens to their 40s, call us every day and speak Spanish, Haitian Creole, Ukrainian, Mandarin and more. We help people find appointments, get financial aid, find transportation and housing. We can provide a referral regardless of whether the caller lives in New York City or their immigration status.

Although we are based in New York, we receive a significant amount of calls from states such as Florida, where abortion is severely restricted, and Texas, which has strict bans. As a result, we have become first responders to the growing public health need for accessible abortion care.

When states make abortion inaccessible, what they are actually doing is outsourcing it. People don’t stop needing abortion care with the stroke of a pen. Forcing people to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles for basic health care makes abortion even more burdensome.

The financial cost alone is punishing. Many callers do not have the money or resources to bring another child into the world. Many cannot afford an abortion even if they have health insurance; Some policies do not cover abortion.

Some callers are on their parents’ insurance and cannot risk disclosing their care. Moreover, they often face travel expenses, lost wages due to time off work, and the need for child care, all of which create barriers to accessing the essential care that should be available in their communities.

I witness every day how much misinformation and lack of information harms people. When you search the internet, you come across millions of things. Anti-abortion organizations are flocking Google Lies are being spread about the search area, abortion care, and even birth control.

Callers often have misinformation or do not understand the differences between medication and procedural abortion. Limiting access to abortion means limiting basic healthcare, leaving people to navigate an often overwhelming maze on their own. Callers expect us to provide reliable information.

I remember a Spanish speaker telling me that she was still pregnant because she had taken an “abortion drug” and thought it “didn’t work.” I connected her with a provider, who discovered that she was not taking abortion pills, but Plan B, an emergency contraceptive to be taken the morning after unprotected sex at 6 weeks. That’s why we’re here: to connect seekers like her with safe and effective care providers.

One of the biggest burdens is the embarrassment, confusion, and stress that many callers feel. You can hear in their voices that they need help. I can hear the relief in callers’ voices after connecting them to a provider and financial aid source in New York. It is a very rewarding feeling to let someone who is struggling know that there is help and hope.

It takes courage to work for the Center, answering calls from countless people in brutal circumstances. But I have a really supportive team and we can share knowledge and stories. Thanks to them, I can react better and stay calm. These are what make the Center a safe haven for anyone who feels like they have no one else they can trust. There is no one else who can tell them everything will be okay.

To the leaders of states that ban or restrict abortion care, I say this is happening to your families and communities because of you. People who can barely afford it travel hundreds of kilometers for days under great stress. Why would you put someone in this situation? I know because I talk to them almost every day and hear about the immense pain you inflict on your own neighbors, co-workers, and loved ones.

Jazmin Gil Marquez is an Abortion Access Center Navigator in New York City.

All opinions expressed are those of the author.

Do you have a unique experience or personal story to share? Check out ours Reader Submission Guide and then email the My Turn team at [email protected].