Frequently Asked Questions
The Abortion Defense Network provides legal services to abortion providers and supporters in the United States.
- People and organizations in the United States working to provide or support abortion are eligible for assistance. This includes abortion clinics; abortion providers; other health care providers who may be impacted by abortion restrictions; abortion funds; practical support organizations; abortion doulas; reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations; researchers; advocates; artists; activists; and staff, Board members, and volunteers at eligible organizations.
The Abortion Defense Network connects abortion providers and supporters with attorneys who have been vetted and trained to provide them with confidential legal advice, defense representation in civil proceedings, and/or defense representation in criminal proceedings.
The Abortion Defense Network also connects abortion providers and supporters with affiliated legal defense funds when they need funding to cover legal expenses.
We are available to help across the country, no matter whether you are located or work in a ban, restrictive, or access state.
- Confidential Legal Advice: Abortion Defense Network attorneys are available to answer a wide range of legal questions that will help you or your organization provide or support abortion. These may be questions about abortion restrictions and laws, or they may be questions that otherwise help you to provide or support abortion care. For example, we can help with questions about rights and obligations under federal, state, and local laws; sources of legal risk; contingency planning; scope of practice; and organizational formation and operations. If you need legal advice or have a question that impacts your work in any way, please reach out.
- Defense Representation: Abortion Defense Network attorneys are available to defend you or your organization in a wide range of proceedings, including investigations and subpoenas, civil lawsuits, criminal prosecutions, and administrative actions. We encourage you to reach out immediately if you receive a subpoena, a request for information, or any other communication from a source that suggests you are the subject or target of an investigation or may be called on to provide testimony or documents, such as: law enforcement officers or agencies; federal or state prosecutors; federal, state, or local government agencies; adversarial attorneys; and committees or members of Congress or another legislative body.
- The Abortion Defense Network does not provide representation for affirmative litigation (i.e., we do not represent parties who want to file lawsuits), but we may be able to offer suggestions about attorneys who could assist with such matters—including potentially from organizations and law firms that participate in the Abortion Defense Network.
- Legal Funding: The Abortion Defense Network is affiliated with several legal defense funds that provide funding for legal expenses such as bail or bond fees; court fees; attorney’s fees; discovery expenses; and incidental costs such as travel expenses and translation services. Funding may be available regardless of whether your attorney is part of the Abortion Defense Network.
Almost all legal services through the Abortion Defense Network are provided on a pro bono basis.
- In rare cases, a client may require specialized services that we cannot provide for free. When that happens, we will work with you to apply for funding from an affiliated legal defense fund to cover the costs.
No. The Abortion Defense Network does not have a financial test for individuals, non-profit organizations, or for-profit businesses working to provide or support abortion care.
- We know that the services we provide you ultimately benefit the hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States who need abortions every year, the vast majority of whom face financial or other barriers to obtaining care.
- Our goal is to offer the legal resources you need without red tape so that you can focus your time and energy on providing care and support to people seeking abortions.
An Attorney Navigator will be in touch within 24 hours to assess your needs.
- After your confidential intake interview with one of our Attorney Navigators, we will work quickly to assign you an attorney or legal team. The amount of time it takes to make this assignment varies based on attorney availability and the urgency and complexity of your legal needs. Assignments in active criminal matters are made on an expedited basis, and we aim to make other assignments within three weeks of the intake interview. Your Attorney Navigator will stay in touch to keep you updated on the process.
All attorneys in our network are vetted, trained on issues concerning abortion provision and support, and values aligned.
- Some of our attorneys come from nonprofit organizations, and some come from private law firms. Some have specialized areas of expertise, and some are generalists. We will match you with the attorney or attorneys that best match your needs. In some cases, we may assemble a team of attorneys from more than one organization or firm if your needs require more than one type of expertise or require participation by an attorney licensed in a particular state.
The Abortion Defense Network refers abortion patients and people seeking abortion care to the Repro Legal Helpline operated by If/When/How: Lawyers for Reproductive Justice. The Repro Legal Helpline serves individuals who want or recently obtained abortion care and have legal questions.
For non-legal questions about the Abortion Defense Network, please contact us at [email protected]. If you are a lawyer interested in providing pro bono support to the Abortion Defense Network, please complete this form. Either way, someone will respond as soon as possible.
