Abortion is illegal inLouisianawith few exceptions, that dont eveninclude rape or incest.
And she tellsGlamourthat Fridays indictment wont dissuade them from their mission.
Glamour: As an organization, were you preparing for this to happen?
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Julie F. Kay:Were not surprised.
We saw, during this last election even, increasing evidence that Americans overwhelmingly support abortion rights.
It sends a dangerous message that the US is taking down information [from theCDC website].
That is certainly part of it.
Then theres the fact that President Trump pardoned almost two dozen convicted anti-abortion protesters.
They were people who had been violent against clinics.
Those kinds of things are emboldening opponents.
Were you expecting the charges to come from Louisiana, specifically?
Weve seen Louisiana beaggressiveand overstepping in its attacks on abortion.
They have disregarded science and evidence.
They havemisclassifiedproven safe medications.
I wish they would focus some attention on access to safe health care and healthy pregnancies.
Instead they just keep using this as a political issue.
So that its coming from Louisiana, I would say, is not surprising.
We started off with two doctors and a lawyer, and weve quickly seen the need.
We created a medical malpractice insurance group.
So thats one piece that we do.
We have a medical working group that meets regularly to discuss best medical practice.
Weve really become sort of a buffet of options that providers need.
What should they know about this part of the infrastructure?
So 70% of all abortions are done by medication abortion at this point.
Every persons decision about abortion is highly individualized.
The factors of what method of accessing abortion a person chooses are so individualized.
What were looking at is, what do women need to make that choice?
[Though ACT does not directly deal with patients, Carpenter does through her role as a physician.]
How does providing abortion pills via telemedicine work?
Its a very straightforward process.
The doctor whos going to…ask for more information and those kinds of things.
The patient pays somewhere between $150 and $250.
So the cost is never going to prohibit somebody from accessing care.
They get their pills sent to them, and they arrive within three to five days.
Generally its the same pill that you would get if you drove to a clinic.
A lot of women really appreciate not having to travel and miss school or work or caretaking obligations.
So theres more privacy.
Thats another motivation for a lot of people to not have to go through the clinic experience.
Its been growing and really expanding incredibly, especially in this time.
Are you preparing for a long court battle?
They said inDobbsthat they were leaving the decision to the states.
So well see, but were ready for it.
Is the indictment going to change any of ACTs operations?
Our organization was built to pass, protect, and expand safe, legal, and accessible telemedicine.
Were going to keep on doing that.
Were really asking people to learn about medication abortion via telemedicine.
Its really important to continue to learn about it and to protect it.
ACT takes a real leadership role in that and takes it extremely seriously.
These are human rights that transcend state borders.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
