HeyJane founder Kiki Freedman launched a virtual abortion care startup in early 2021 after the last abortion clinic in Missouri, where he attended college, nearly closed.Following the Supreme Court’s June decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion Under Roe vs. Wadeshe focuses on raising awareness of abortion drugs and combating misinformation she says is rampant across social media. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Courtesy of Hey Jane
CBS MoneyWatch: What inspired you to start HeyJane and start providing abortion pills to patients through digital healthcare clinics?
Kiki Friedman: HeyJane was inspired by the last abortion clinic I attended in Missouri, which nearly closed. No access to abortion at all seemed crazy dystopian. Looking back, it has become quaint compared to where we are now.
What attracted you to telemedicine?
I was interested in the rise of digital clinics and how they increase access to stigmatized products in a convenient and discreet way. For erectile dysfunction and hair lossI was interested in how it could be applied to provide access to abortion care.
What kind of patients does HeyJane typically treat?
Our patient population loosely mimics the abortion population as a whole. It’s slightly skewed towards low income — 50% of our patients make less than $25,000 a year. They are both racially and geographically diverse. Many are now in school and about half of our patients already have children and are making conscious decisions about how their families move forward. We have served our patients.
How has the Supreme Court ruling nullifying Roe v. Wade (known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization) affected your business? Is demand for HeyJane’s services increasing? ?
In the days following Dobbs’ ruling, the site’s traffic increased tenfold. Traffic to the site has increased by 10,000% and patient demand has doubled. There is no doubt that patient acceptance continues to be at a much higher level than before.
Has the composition of the patient population changed at all?
We noticed a shift in tone, not a shift in demographics — we noticed a significant increase in anxiety among our patients. We see it in the form of relying more on our team as a beacon of support and hope.
There is also a greater focus on privacy and discretion. That has always been very important, but the concerns around it are much more widespread. increase.
Where do you operate and who is eligible for care?
We live in seven states: California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington, and patients must be physically located in one of these states to be treated with HeyJane. must be They don’t have to be residents.
Think of it like visiting a doctor’s office while traveling. Our cost is $249. We partner with amazing abortion funds in every state to provide financial assistance to those in need.
Is it 100% virtual? What are the benefits of telemedicine in obtaining abortion pills?
We are fully virtual and cater to all patient needs. The patient has 24/7 access to medicines delivered to her doorstep. On top of that, we provide emotional support and community support. We want our patients to feel normalized, supported and validated in all aspects of their journey.
One of the advantages of being virtual is, for example, there was a single patient who lived in a small town, and people at nearby clinics were close to members of the patient’s family. The patient expected no privacy at the local clinic, so he came to us instead.
Another patient unfortunately became pregnant as a result of sexual assault and did not want to be touched or leave home.
What are the biggest challenges you face today?
Our clinical team believes that many patients eventually crisis pregnancy centerFrom there they start and eventually find us. Before Dobbs, he had four times as many critical pregnancy centers as abortion clinics. It is now even more exaggerated.
These exist as abortion clinics but are propaganda tools of religious groups to provide false medical information and use coercive practices such as guilt and shame to discourage people from having an abortion.
They are rampant and very compelling. And now, given that there really aren’t any abortion clinics that offset them, that’s where they end up when people are searching online for information on hostile nations.
We are confirmed on social media platforms, but are still united by anti-choice people who try to censor our content.
One of our main current efforts is to raise awareness about the safety and efficacy of abortion drugs. Before Dobbs came along, he was one of four people who knew about the existence of abortion drugs. We are trying to make people aware that this is an effective option for many people.
What is your advice for patients seeking care in states where abortion is not legal?
It depends a lot on the person and the resources they have access to. It’s important to know that travel to other supported states is still legal. Seventeen states have enacted “shield” laws that protect patients and providers from being the subject of investigations involving reproductive health care.
That said, traveling to other states is expensive and not a viable option for everyone. There are resources like abortion funds It offers practical support and can help make your trip easier and is worth considering.
