How to Find a Provider/Abortion Care
If you have a trusting relationship with a primary care or reproductive health provider, you may start by asking them if they offer medication abortion. If they do not, your provider may be able to suggest a trusted colleague in your area.
Not everywhere that offers medical services will provide abortion care. If you don’t have the opportunity or feel safe to ask about an abortion where you normally seek healthcare, there are trusted online resources that can help you find an abortion provider in the region.
Some well-established and trusted reproductive healthcare clinics that offer pregnancy testing, abortion counseling, and abortion services in our state are the University of New Mexico Center for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Southwestern Women’s Options, VAG Clinic, Whole Woman’s Health, Alamo Women’s Clinic, Las Cruces Women’s Health Organization (Pink House), and Full Circle Health Center.
While clinics/providers are primarily located in urban areas like Albuquerque, the overturn of Roe v Wade has led to clinics/providers moving to other parts of the state. To find a clinic/provider, both online and hotline directories are available. The availability of resources and services offered will vary from clinic to clinic.
For more on legitimate online and hotline resources, check out the Resources Page.
BEWARE: In New Mexico, there are also Crisis Pregnancy Centers, run by anti-abortion activists, that exist to keep people from getting an abortion. While these centers often offer free resources like pregnancy tests, diapers, and formula, they are not healthcare providers and do not offer medical care.
Do I need permission from the other person involved in pregnancy or anybody else to have an abortion?
NO.
Privacy/Permissions for Your Abortion
To get an abortion in New Mexico, you do not need to notify or get permission from anyone, not even the person with whom sex* resulted in a pregnancy.
The decision about having an abortion is entirely up to you. It is also your decision who, if anyone, to have present for your abortion and who may support you afterwards.
* People become pregnant from consensual sex and non-consensual sexual violence. In this guide, we use the term sex to refer to any sex act that resulted in a pregnancy.
Abortion and Young People’s Rights
IN NEW MEXICO, PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 13 ARE LEGALLY PROTECTED IN SEEKING ABORTION, CONTRACEPTION, STI TESTING, AND MENTAL/BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE IN A CONFIDENTIAL SETTING AND WITHOUT PARENTAL NOTIFICATION OR CONSENT—UNLESS THE EXCEPTIONS NOTED BELOW APPLY.
IN NEW MEXICO, IF YOU ARE A MINOR OVER THE AGE OF 13, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO GET AN ABORTION WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM A PARENT/GUARDIAN. OUR STATE HAS NO REQUIREMENTS FOR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS TO BE NOTIFIED OR PRESENT FOR YOUR ABORTION.
NOTE: ADULTS IN NEW MEXICO, INCLUDING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND STAFF, ARE OBLIGED TO FOLLOW MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS RELATED TO MINORS HAVING SEX* WITH PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 18 OR EXPERIENCING SEXUAL VIOLENCE BEFORE THEY REACH LEGAL AGE OF CONSENT. IN NEW MEXICO, 17 IS THE LEGAL AGE OF CONSENT. IN CASES INVOLVING MANDATORY REPORTING, YOUR CARE MAY NOT REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL.
WHILE THE DETAILS OF WHAT YOU DISCUSS WHEN ACCESSING ABORTION-RELATED SERVICES WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH YOUR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS, ANY SERVICES PROVIDED AND MEDICATIONS THAT ARE PRESCRIBED AND COVERED UNDER A SHARED INSURANCE PLAN (INCLUDING MEDICAID) WILL BE VISIBLE ON THE EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS (EOB). EOBs ARE REQUIRED TO BE SENT OUT TO INSURANCE SUBSCRIBERS BY LAW, AND WILL BE ADDRESSED TO THE PERSON WHO RECEIVED THE SERVICE. A PARENT OR GUARDIAN MAY OPEN THE EOB AND FIND OUT ABOUT ANY VISITS TO A MEDICAL PROVIDER, AND ANY MEDICATIONS OR SERVICES PROVIDED, INCLUDING PREGNANCY TESTS AND ABORTION CARE.
Safety and Security at Abortion Clinics
If you seek care at an abortion clinic, there is a strong likelihood that anti-abortion activists will be protesting outside. Protestors are generally not allowed on clinic property, but are allowed on public sidewalks. This means the protestors can and likely will be very close to the parking lots and entryways of clinics where abortion care is provided. It is illegal for protestors to block access to clinics; they are not allowed to intentionally block you or your car. Some protestors may try to confuse you or guide you to nearby crisis pregnancy centers or tell you the clinic is closed. Consider the following tips for your safety:
- Don’t engage with protestors; avoid eye contact; don’t speak with them, and go directly into the building.
- Bring a friend or loved one for support.
- Some clinics may provide an escort to walk in with you.
- Some protestors may take pictures or video, so you may consider sunglasses or clothing to conceal your face.
- Call the clinic if you have any concerns that you are in the wrong place or that your appointment was changed in any way.
While the activities of protestors are legally limited, that doesn’t mean that the protestors won’t deliberately break the law and try to keep patients from getting their abortion. Anti-abortion activists have made clear that their protests are designed to harass and scare those seeking abortion care.
Clinics that provide abortion care have well-established and practiced security plans to keep their patients and staff safe.
MEDICAL AND SICK LEAVE FOR ABORTION CARE
Medical and sick leave policies vary by employers and educational settings.
For people employed in NM, the Healthy Workplaces Act is a state law for employees of any size business to be able to take paid sick leave.
The Healthy Workplaces Act went into effect in July 2022 and enables employees to incrementally earn sick leave that can be used to care for themselves or a family member.
Federal leave allows for time to be taken for a “serious” health issue. The FMLA defines a serious health condition as an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either inpatient care or continuing treatment by a health care provider. Both physical and mental health conditions qualify for FMLA leave. FMLA itself is not paid time off; however, your employer may offer paid leave options.
Depending on your unique circumstances, you may be able to miss a short period of work or school by saying you were out for a healthcare appointment or out sick, without sharing details you might want to keep private.
A clinic or provider can give you a note related to missing work, school, or other obligations, if having documentation related to being out from other responsibilities is helpful. The clinic or provider should be able to do so in a way that doesn’t disclose the private details or medical reasons related to your absence. If you are particularly concerned about keeping the reason for your absence private, you can ask that the note excusing your absence be kept more general.
Additional Supports
When navigating your own path to getting an abortion, you may want or need support of different kinds.
If you need help in paying for your abortion, getting to NM for care, getting care in the language you speak, or have other needs, there may be support available. You can find many of these sources of support in our Trusted Resources section of the guide.
In other sections of this guide, you can find more information on paying for an abortion and abortion funds.
If you want somewhere to turn for emotional support or to talk about what you are going through, find more here.
Accessing abortion can be complex. The dynamics that usually make getting healthcare frustrating can be even trickier to navigate because of the stigma surrounding abortion.