| Cost of Abortion |  |
|
| A Day At The Clinic | |
Where to go:
Abortions are provided in private physicians' offices, state licensed clinics, private clinics or in hospitals. We've listed some Minnesota health centers that have a history of providing women with health options, including abortion. If you are looking for a clinic outside Minnesota, the National Abortion Federation offers a provider map that allows you to highlight clinics in your area. You can also call the NAF Hotline at 1-800-772-9100 to get referrals to member clinics, as well as information and resources.
Planned Parenthood of MN/SD - St. Paul
Phone: 651-698-2406
Procedures up to 14 weeks 6 daysRobbinsdale Clinic - Robbinsdale
Phone: 612-533-2534
Procedures up to 13 weeksDr. Mildred Hanson - Minneapolis
Phone: 612-870-1334
Procedures up to 20 weeksMeadowbrook Women's Clinic - Minneapolis
Phone: 612-376-7708
Procedures up to 21 weeks 6 days
Women's Health Center - Duluth
Phone:218-727-3352
Procedures up to 15 weeks 6 daysMidwest Health Center for Women - Minneapolis
Phone: 612-332-2311
Procedures up to 15 weeks 6 daysSurgical Specialties at Regions - St. Paul
Phone: 651-221-3200
Procedures up to 21 weeks 6 days
The cost of an abortion ranges in price depending on what clinic you go to and how far along you are in your pregnancy. The average starting price in the Twin Cities area is $500 for women who are less than 11 weeks. After 11 weeks, the price increases the further along you are in your pregnancy. In Minnesota, abortions can cost as much as $2000 if you are in your 20th week. If you are considering having an abortion, it is best to call your preferred clinic and find out how much your procedure will cost.
If you decide having an abortion is the right choice for you, but you cannot afford it, financial assistance is available. Pro-Choice Resources runs the Hersey Abortion Fund which can help you pay for your abortion. Due to limited resources, we do not pay for all of your procedure. Grant amounts range from $50 to $250 depending on availability of funds.
Please call 612-825-2000 for more information or visit http://www.prochoiceresources.org/funding.php
For many young women going to the clinic for any healthcare can be intimidating or even scary. The following will help you to understand what happens at an abortion clinic. Although each clinic or hospital may have a different feel the following describes a typical day at a clinic for a teen getting a first-trimester abortion.
• First, you will need to make an appointment to have an abortion.
• After doing this you will need to notify your parents about the abortion procedure or get a judicial bypass.
• Next, a doctor will call you at least 24 hours before your appointment to talk with a doctor about the abortion procedure and answer any questions you may have.
• On the day you go for your abortion procedure, you should expect that there may be anti-abortion protesters outside of the clinic who will try to persuade you from having an abortion. It is your right to have an abortion and thus you do not have to stop and talk with these people and they cannot legally block your entrance to the clinic. Some clinics may have staff or volunteers called clinic escorts that are there to help you enter the clinic safely.
• Once you enter the clinic, you will be greeted by the receptionist. She or he will ask you to fill out some paperwork and may ask you for photo identification.
• You will then wait in the waiting room until a nurse or patient advocate calls you. They will then take the time to do a general health check-up (blood and urine sample, weight and blood pressure) and have an ultrasound. They will also review the abortion procedure and discuss your feelings regarding abortion. If they feel that you are being pressure to have the abortion against your will or that you are not confident in your decision they will send you home so that you can take additional time to make sure that it is the right decision for you. These patient advocates can also provide you information on adoption or parenting if you decide that these are better choices for you at this time in your life.
• If they feel you are confident in your decision they will go over a consent form and ask you to sign it. You will then spend some time discussing birth control options available to you after your abortion so that you can prevent an additional unplanned pregnancy in the future.
• At the end of this discussion you will be given some pain killers (typically ibuprofen) and return to the waiting room. At this time you will be asked to pay for the abortion and wait for your name to be called.
• Once your name is called you will meet doctor and ask any final questions you have about the procedure.
• The procedure will then begin and will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. During the procedure the same nurse or patient advocate that you talked with earlier will be in the room to talk with you and/or hold your hand if desired during the procedure.
• After the procedure you will go to a room where you can rest, and drink some juice for approximately 30 minutes. While you are resting a staff person will talk to you about how to take care of yourself over the next couple days and will give you a phone number to call a nurse if you have any questions.
• Before you leave, you will schedule a follow-up appointment to come back to the clinic in a couple weeks and check to make sure the abortion was complete and that you are doing well.
