North Star

40 | choice

2019

Kaipo and I had options. That was the most important thing. And I was lucky to have them, thanks to Kaipo's help and Kanani's supportive hand, because it became clear pretty quickly that not everyone who wanted or needed to get an abortion in Hawai'i had those same options.

Three years before the Supreme Court's landmark Roe V. Wade decision, Hawai'i became the first state to fully legalize abortion by the request of the woman (or pregnant person), and its leadership has worked to expand and guarantee those rights, which elated me with a sense of pride. Those who were fourteen or older could consent to an abortion on their own and didn't need to let their parents know or get permission either, which was a fortunate step in the right direction for reproductive rights for all.

But that didn't mean it was easy to get one. There were still areas that needed improvement.

Even for a state as progressive as ours, access was limited. Not necessarily because of any restrictive laws, but mostly due to availability which was heavily affected by Hawai'i's geography. Most of the providers who offered these services were located on O'ahu, Maui, and in Hilo on the Big Island, and even those numbers continued to shrink year after year. That left the other islands, and especially most rural areas, to carry the burden of any extra costs associated with traveling to those places. Abortion didn't have a mandate that required it to be covered by insurance, so that left a lot of pregnant people at a disadvantage, and even if the abortion itself was covered, other costs might not necessarily be, like an ultrasound or diapers. I had no idea how many pads and diapers someone could go through after an abortion, but I could only imagine what kind of strain that and other additional costs put on those who went through the procedure.

Stigma also still prevailed on an island, possibly more so than in bigger cities. Finding a physician who could and would perform the procedure proved to be difficult because those who were able to didn't advertise those services due to the fear of harassment, by their colleagues or the community. While I held the utmost respect for most healthcare workers, I couldn't understand how one could pledge to support those in need without providing basic healthcare rights.

It wasn't a perfect world, but that was a reminder that we didn't live in the paradise many others deluded themselves into believing we were so they could take advantage of our home. Hawai'i still had plenty of work to do.

We had the option to try abortion via telemedicine, which would allow me to have pills sent directly to the house, but that took longer, so I wasn't keen on it. Going down the abortion pill route was time sensitive, and, quite frankly, I wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. I did appreciate that it was an option for others who didn't have a facility nearby, though.

Kaipo's aunt came through with her connections to book us an appointment with a doctor who, to no one's surprise, only worked through referrals from close friends and family. If Kaipo and I weren't strategically avoiding touching each other during those days leading up to the procedure, as if even a simple high five would result in another pregnancy we would need to abort, I could have kissed him for helping to make this so much easier than I thought it was going to be. Although Kanani would have helped me as best as she could if we weren't able to use his connections, I wouldn't even have known where to start if I had to do this on my own. It was a frightening experience that had nothing to do with the procedure itself or the finality of it, but that there was so little information available online. Whether this was by design or a simple failure of the healthcare system, these obstacles left a profound effect on everyone. Even in Hawai'i, getting access to or even just information to help make an informed decision was more difficult than it should have been. I wasn't old by any means, but the prospect of navigating the complicated world of exercising your own rights as an even younger individual was daunting.