Rural Access Project
The Abortion Fund of Arizona receives phone calls from people needing financial assistance for their abortion care every day. Now, we want to better understand how place and policy impact the experiences of real people seeking abortion across the state.
While abortion remains legal in Arizona, getting care is not the same process for everyone. Factors like where you live, how much money you make, and if you have access to transportation can affect your ability to get an abortion. That, paired with unnecessary bans, makes Arizona one of the most difficult places to get an abortion in states where it is still legal.
Can you help?
We are building a network of supporters in Arizona who want to improve access to reproductive healthcare and abortion throughout the state.
Impacted community members
We want to connect with people living in rural parts of Arizona who would like to share their experience trying to access abortion care.
Advocates and supporters
We are looking for reproductive justice advocates, healthcare providers, and supporters who want to help expand access in their community.
Our Goal
We want to reach people across Arizona who can speak to the accessibility of reproductive healthcare in their region — whether that is from a patient, provider, or advocate perspective. Our goal is to bring this information to lawmakers and leaders who have the power to create policies that will help people who can become pregnant and their families.
What we’re up againsT
Arizona is the sixth largest state in the United States, with an estimated population of 7,431 million people. About 62% of people live in Maricopa County and 7.3% live in Tucson, where all of the state’s seven abortion providers are located. Anyone else living outside of those areas must travel two to six hours to get to an in-state or out-of-state clinic, and sometimes more if they need to travel further for an abortion later in pregnancy.
Along with needing the time, transportation, and money, people who live in rural Arizona face an extensive list of state laws that make it even harder for them to get care.
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There are only seven abortion providing facilities in Arizona, and five of those are located in Maricopa County. All clinics are prohibited from providing abortion care after 24 weeks (the current viability standard) and some clinics only offer medication abortion up to 10 weeks.
Along with time-based restrictions, people who are traveling from rural Arizona to an in-state clinic have to deal with the state’s 24-hour waiting period. That means they either need to make two trips, or find a place to stay for several nights until they can get care after their first consultation. In many cases that means securing reliable transportation, days of work, losing income, needing to find childcare, and paying for lodging.
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Arizona’s medicaid (AHCCCS), insurance plans on the state health exchange, insurance plans for public employees, and most private insurers do not cover the cost of abortion care. In almost all cases, people who live in Arizona will need to pay out-of-pocket for their abortion healthcare.
The expense begins at $760 and increases up to $2,800, in AZ based on gestational stage. Since Arizona does not provide abortion care after 24 weeks of pregnancy, anyone who travels out of state to have a procedure later in pregnancy will likely spend between $5,000 and $15,000.
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The state faces some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country compared to states where abortion is still legal. Arizona has nearly 50 laws that disproportionately impact people who live in rural areas and need access to abortion. Arizonans have experienced various gestational bans since June 2022, including the reinstatement of a pre-statehood total abortion ban that was eventually repealed in September 2024.
Laws that need to change
Physician-only TRAP Laws
Surgical abortions are one of the safest medical procedures, and complications are extremely rare. In fact, risks associated with childbirth far exceed that of abortion.
Registered nurse practitioners have applicable knowledge and skills to provide abortion care with proper training, including dispensing abortion medication, but Arizona has several laws preventing anyone other than a physician from performing abortion care.
By limiting the practice of qualified medical professionals like registered nurse practitioners (RNPs), these laws put pressure on the few physicians who provide abortion care in Arizona.
Without these unnecessary constraints, RNPs who would like to offer abortion care could do so in underserved parts of the state.
ARS 36-2155, ARS 32-1606, ARS 32-2501(11), ARS 32-2531, ARS 32-2532
Judicial Bypass Law
People under the age of 18 are required by law to get the consent of a parent or legal guardian in order to obtain an abortion in the state of Arizona. If parental consent is not obtained, the individual can alternatively seek a judicial bypass before getting an abortion.
While some young people feel comfortable asking a parent or legal guardian for consent to have an abortion, that’s not the case for everyone. No one should have to ask permission from someone else to obtain healthcare.
Even though the state offers the alternative option of judicial bypass, this system still relies on the subjective opinion of a judge, who decides if the pregnant person “is mature and capable of having an abortion.”
This is a complicated and unnecessary process that delays the procedure date and infringes on the individual’s bodily autonomy.
This law presents even more challenges to those living outside of the Phoenix metro area, because courts may be more inaccessible, securing transportation may be difficult, and ensuring anonymity in smaller communities may not be possible.
Telemedicine Ban
Telehealth is an easy, cost-effective, and fast way to see a healthcare provider, especially when distance is a challenge. With so few abortion providers across the state, having the option to see a provider and obtain a prescription for medication abortion from the comfort of one’s own home would significantly increase access to care for people in rural communities.
Medication abortion is proven to be safe and is typically taken orally at home, so requiring patients to travel for this care is medically unnecessary.
The benefit of telemedicine has become even more clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, when traveling and interacting with others poses more risk than ever before. In response to the need for social distancing, providers in states like Maine, Colorado, and more have instated telemedicine programs to make medication abortion more accessible, but this ban prevents providers in Arizona from implementing similar models.
WE'RE COLLECTING DATA TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The Abortion Fund of Arizona has been collecting demographic data from pledge recipients across Arizona since 2017. From this information, we’ve seen a clear need to better serve people who live in rural Arizona that goes beyond funding.
The purpose of this project is to gather qualitative data about the experiences of rural community members who have sought abortions. We also want to build a movement across the state to support those in need of abortion. Over the next few years, we hope to develop a report that informs positive policy and repeals anti-abortion legislation to improve access to care throughout the state.