Welcome to Choice in Health

Thank you for being here as a support person. Your loved one might be going through a lot today. It’s normal to want to make their experience easier. We hope you’ll accept our guidance on how to support them, as it may offer you some unexpected insights. We want the clinic visit to go smoothly for you, clients and staff. 

Allow the individual you’re accompanying to advocate for themselves.

It might feel important to tell staff about your loved one’s situation and needs or ask about abortion care and recovery, to understand your role in it.  We direct our focus to clients to verify anything we hear and confirm that we’re listening to their concerns.

By limiting reproductive health care and even the dialogue surrounding it, our culture disempowers people who can become pregnant. Speaking on someone’s behalf can easily pressure them to make a certain choice about their pregnancy or contraception.

Creating space for clients to speak shows that we fully support them in making decisions about their own bodies and reproductive health; and it ensures that our staff can get an individual’s consent at each stage of their appointment. By stepping back, you can be our valued partner in affirming your loved one’s agency.

We know you’re processing your own experience too. 

An abortion often leads to complicated emotions for the pregnant person, and other people in their life. In holding space for your loved one, your feelings can still be there. Simply see if you can explore your internal emotional experience, without needing to do something with it. You’ll be alone for most of the time you’re here, which may give you an opportunity to breathe, check in with yourself, and learn. It’s normal if this process continues after today. We have shared some resources below to help you get started.

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Our waiting room agreements

  • To minimize clinic traffic, arrive with your loved one. We invite you to remain here for the full appointment. You will meet them after the appointment if you choose to exit.

  • Engage in a respectful way with the person you're with, and everyone sharing the space. In conversations and phone calls, be aware of volume and protect any personal information.

  • While we are here to answer questions, we encourage you to first turn to the resources below, so that we can be available for client care.  

  • For privacy reasons, staff cannot discuss the order in which we see clients.

Resources

If you find another resource, you can use this list to ensure that it is not provided by an anti-choice organization, which often misrepresent their services.