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 their 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 our clients, and other people in their lives. It’s also possible that you are accompanying someone who is having a procedure with us to manage an early pregnancy loss. 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.

Providing support in the procedure room

As a support person, you may be invited by your loved one to join them in the procedure room for a surgical procedure. This is dependent on the care planned by the medical team and is not guaranteed. Please note that you will not be able to accompany them for the assessment, ultrasound or recovery time, which usually means that there is no accompaniment during a medication abortion appointment. For a summary of each step in the appointment process, you can watch our video (5 mins.).

Some people are not comfortable in medical settings, and this is understandable. If you think you may not be comfortable in the operating room, please let us know. For example, if you have ever felt faint while giving blood or while in a medical setting, we will not be able to invite you into this space.

Also, you will not be able to join in the procedure room if you have brought children to the appointment, as you will be responsible for supervision at all times.

When we are able to welcome you into the procedure room, we will guide you to sit beside the client, facing them throughout their care, where you will be available to support them. After the procedure clients go to the recovery room for about 30 minutes (though this time can vary), and you will be asked to go back to the waiting room. Your loved one will join you there after the nurse has discharged them. You can then help them gather their belongings from the locker and get home safely.

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.