Reproductive Rights

What is an abortion?

Abortion is a safe, common health care service to end a pregnancy.

What are the laws regarding Abortion in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, you can get an abortion up to 24 weeks since your last menstrual period.

A pregnant person must receive state mandated counseling and then wait 24 hours before obtaining any type of abortion. The counseling includes information designed to discourage people from obtaining abortions. An abortion may be performed at 24 or more weeks after last menstrual period only if the person’s life or health is endangered. In Pennsylvania, Medicaid and plans and government funded insurance plans including those purchased through the Affordable Care Act on the state’s insurance exchange marketplace do not cover the cost of abortion (except for cases of pregnant person’s life endangerment, rape, or incest). The parent of a minor must consent before a minor obtains an abortion. There is another option for teens seeking an abortion. Teens may ask a judge for a “judicial bypass” or permission to have an abortion without a parent or guardian’s consent. Learn more about judicial bypass here.

How does Pennsylvania compare to nearby states?

How is an abortion performed?

After your pregnancy is confirmed, a provider will determine how far along you are. Based on this and a few other questions, you will be given the option of a medical abortion or a vacuum aspiration procedure. You and your provider can decide what type of abortion is best for you based on your preference, medical history, and how far along you are.

What are the different types of abortion?

Medical abortion

You take two medications (mifepristone and misoprostol). The first medication, mifepristone, blocks the hormone progesterone, which supports the pregnancy and makes the uterus more receptive to the second medicine, misoprostol. The Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and expel the contents of the uterus through the vagina. You may experience cramping and bleeding at that time. Some people experience other mild side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, dizziness, and/or continued spotting or bleeding. Misoprostol can either be placed in the vagina (0-48) hours after first pill or placed in the cheeks and absorbed through the skin of the cheek (24-48 hours after the first pill). The first medication is often taken in a medical office and the second at home. A medical abortion can be performed up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Vacuum aspiration

In this procedure your cervix may be gently stretched to allow a suction device to remove the pregnancy tissue from your uterus. Toward the end of the procedure, you may feel some cramping. This is typically an outpatient procedure, meaning you go to the office, have the procedure, and go home, all in the same day. The suction portion of the procedure itself usually takes less than 5 minutes, but the timing may vary. Depending on the clinic, you may be able to select from a few different options to manage discomfort or pain during the procedure – from local numbing medicine to medication administered intravenously that will put you to sleep during the procedure. This procedure can be performed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy in Pennsylvania.

How safe is abortion?

Abortion is extremely safe. The risk of complication is minimal. In fact, the risk of dying because of an abortion (0.1-0.2/10,000) is lower than the risk of dying from childbirth (7.1/10,000). Abortion is one of the safest surgical procedures for pregnant people in the U.S. Fewer than 0.05% of women obtaining abortions experience a complication.

How effective is abortion?

A vacuum aspiration procedure works more than 99% of the time. Medication abortion is 95% to 98% effective.

Can you obtain an abortion through telehealth?

Some telehealth abortion providers only serve specific states. Other telehealth abortion providers serve all 50 U.S. states and its territories. Depending on where you live, there may be some legal risk in getting abortion pills online. To learn more about possible legal risk, visit the website for the Repro Legal Helpline.https://reprolegalhelpline.org

Some telehealth abortion providers that serve the U.S. are:

How can I get an abortion in the Philadelphia Area?

These are sites in Philadelphia that provide reproductive health and family planning services, including abortion

What are crisis pregnancy centers?

Crisis pregnancy centers or pregnancy resource centers are unlicensed and unregulated by the PA Department of Health, and they have a hidden anti-abortion agenda. These are places that imitate abortion clinics or other health centers and are funded by organizations that do not support abortion. These centers may be staffed by nonmedical personnel and provide information that is medically inaccurate and designed to discourage people from getting an abortion. They may offer free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds done by non-licensed personnel. Ultrasounds done at these types of clinics may miss critical information about your pregnancy and provide inaccurate information. In contrast to an abortion clinic or medical clinic, these facilities are not required to keep your information private.

How can I pay for an abortion?

Some private health insurance plans cover the cost of an abortion. In Pennsylvania, Medicaid and government funded insurance, including plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act or the state’s insurance exchange marketplace do not cover the cost of abortion (except for cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest).

If you need help paying for an appointment

The place you schedule can guide you on funding options. They may connect you with the resources below. These organizations may help pay for the appointment and travel:

The following places assist with arranging or paying for travel

What if I am too far along to get an abortion in Pennsylvania?

If your pregnancy has been confirmed to be past 24 weeks gestation by ultrasound with a licensed medical provider and your health is at risk or your pregnancy will not survive, you can be connected to services in another state. Here are some places in neighboring states where you can get a later abortion. For more information, please visit the Later Abortion Initiative.

Where can I get an abortion past 24 weeks in nearby states?

Where can I go for more information?

https://prochoice.org/patients/naf-hotline/

https://reprolegalhelpline.org/

https://www.ineedana.com/

Information last reviewed May 13, 2025