Abortion has been banned in several US states. An organization is now transporting those affected to clinics in other countries thanks to volunteer pilots.
A.D
the essentials in short
- The right to abortion is no longer valid in several US states.
- Affected people therefore often have to travel far to terminate a pregnancy.
- The “Elevated Access” organization is helping with volunteer pilots.
Since the US Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion, more than 12 states have banned abortion. It means: if you want to have an abortion, no matter why, you have to travel to another state.
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However, for financial reasons, access is enormously limited for many of those affected. To combat this, there are numerous voluntary organizations that collect donations and use them to organize transport. So also “elevated access” (German: increased access).
Volunteers pay for the flights themselves
The Illinois state group does not help people who want to abort by bus or car travel. Instead, he built a network of around 870 volunteer pilots who take them to their desired destination. Hobby pilots pay for the associated costs themselves, such as fuel.
One of them is Steven of Chicago, who owns a light airplane. He reminded the Guardian: “When I first heard about it I was like, ‘Wow, this is something I care about and can use as a pilot.'”
He also remembers his first flight for the organization well. He knew nothing about the person he was supposed to carry, other than a meeting point and an hour. “Within 15-20 minutes after I met them, we were on the plane and taking off,” she says.
A logistical blessing
Hassle-free travel with no check-in and waiting at the airport is a logistical advantage. Especially since there is often not a very large time window for abortions, for example due to deadline regulations. Furthermore, many of the patients had never flown before.
“It’s just a more comfortable and gentler experience, especially for someone who is going through a lot of things right now,” explains a spokesperson. Furthermore, the volunteer organization does not require any identity documents from passengers. This means that even people without an ID can take advantage of the offer.
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