Phoenix Cast

Abortion Access, Reproductive Coercion, and Survivor Autonomy Part 2

• Season 7 • Episode 12

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In part 2 of this episode of The Phoenix Cast, Violence Prevention Educator Cassandra Carmona-Wayman (she/hers/ella) continues her conversation with reproductive health advocate Cristina Ponce (she/hers) about Abortion Access, Reproductive Coercion, and Survivor Autonomy. Cristina shares her abortion story and shares her lived experiences with these topics. We also unpack how shifting laws, financial barriers, and crisis pregnancy centers impact survivor autonomy and safety. We highlight practical resources like abortion funds, doulas, travel support, and trusted clinic locators. We also break down myths about medication abortion and centering abortion as both healthcare and a crucial safety option for survivors of violence.

Content warnings: discussion of abortion (including personal and self-managed abortion stories), reproductive coercion, intimate partner and interpersonal violence, sexual violence (including rape and sexual coercion), pregnancy-related homicide risk, and anti-abortion harassment/misinformation.

Additionally:

We discuss healthcare clinics and abortion providers near the Denver Metro area. Please be aware of clinics that misrepresent their services and can appear misleading to patients in need of care. Some “crisis pregnancy centers” near campus and in Denver are not medical clinics and may offer misleading or incomplete information about abortion and pregnancy options. When you can, seek licensed providers or clinics that clearly offer full-spectrum reproductive healthcare, and remember you can reach out to the Phoenix Center at Auraria for confidential support and accurate referrals.

Sources and Resources mentioned in the episode:

You can learn more about your options with healthcare service providers like Just the Pill. They can provide vital information and assistance with abortion, contraception, and other sexual and reproductive health services. We provide efficient and equitable access to health care by telemedicine. https://justthepill.com/about-us/

You can also look into resources like Elevated Access. They are a nonprofit organization that provides free air transportation through a network of volunteer pilots, helping people travel to essential healthcare services they might not otherwise be able to reach. Their services primarily support access to abortion care and gender-affirming care by coordinating safe, confidential flights in partnership with healthcare and advocacy organizations across the United States.

Be aware of Denver Metro Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs):


If you are in crisis and need immediate support, please call our 24/7 interpersonal violence helpline at 303-556-2255.

Request an Appointment with an Advocate at
https://www.thepca.org/online-appointment-request

Request a Violence Prevention Presentation at
https://www.thepca.org/prevention-education

Instagram @phoenixauraria

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Hello, listeners! Welcome back to the Phoenix Cast. This

is part two of our abortion access, reproductive coercion, and survivor autonomy podcast

episode, episode number 12 of season seven. Before we begin, I wanted to remind folks

one more time about the content warnings for this podcast. We will be talking about issues

and experiences of relationship violence, intimate partner violence, as well as themes of

reproductive autonomy, health, and abortion. Specifically, Christina will start by talking

about her own personal experiences with abortion and abortion services. While listening to

this last bit of our podcast. If anything comes up for you and you are activated or need

some support, remember that you can always call our 24/7 helpline at 303-556-2255. All

right, now let's get to the episode.

Cristina Ponce: You know, when I was experiencing my first abortion, and it was a second

trimester abortion, and I actually had it in Phoenix, so shouts out Camelback Family

Planning. But before that, I had no idea. I had no idea about the legal landscape. I didn't

know anything until I was faced with this circumstance of having to have this abortion and

make that decision. I was not familiar at all with the legal landscape until I was faced with

the decision of going the term with this pregnancy or terminating the pregnancy, and I was

not aware that there were funds that could help me pay for this abortion because I think

that's one thing that I felt really like holding me back about you know getting an abortion,

seeking an abortion because I was so scared about the costs that I was seeing online, and

time was going by, and it was really hard for me to make that decision. And I was just not in

a place to financially afford an abortion, or much less a child at the time. So yeah, I was notaware that there were all these abortion funds when I first started, and now you know.

Obviously, I work for an abortion clinic, and I'm aware that there is funding out there for

patients. If you want an abortion and you can't afford one, just trust that your clinic will

work with you to find the abortion funds, whether that's with NAF National Abortion

Federation Fund or with local abortion funds. And if you're listening out there and you're not

somebody who can get pregnant, or you're in a place where you can donate, definitely

donate to your local abortion fund if you can, because it definitely helps people access

abortions, especially if they cannot afford one.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Yeah. Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for pointing that

out, Cristina, because it's definitely important for our listeners to know that there are those

resources. If you cannot pay for it out of pocket, or maybe even if you need a little bit of

assistance financially too, even if like maybe you can pay for some, and the abortion fund

can also supplement some of the costs of abortion care. And so yeah, kind of to expand on

that specifically for the Denver Metro area, we do have the Cobalt Abortion Fund, which

does provide direct financial assistance for abortion care at partner clinics, regardless of

income or residency. They do also help with practical expenses like transportation, lodging,

and meals. You can go to their website directly for more information. We also do have the

Colorado Doula Project, which they offer practical support to patients, which includes gas

money, public transit tickets. They also have lodging assistance and abortion doula

support, and so you can reach out to their support line at 720-432-1583, and you can also

look them up to learn more about their work. And then, as Cristina mentioned, there is the

National Abortion Federation or NAF hotline, and so that is a national resource thatprovides financial assistance, provider referrals, and case management. So you can call

them as well. You can call them at 800-772-9100, and of course, you can also access their

information online and learn more how to schedule maybe a call or an appointment with

different local clinics for abortion care, and call these resources for any other information

for abortion funds and other questions you might have. So as we know, like legal landscape

surrounding abortion just continues to evolve. So how has maybe like recent policy

changes affected the patients and maybe also the providers with your organization,

Cristina.

Cristina Ponce: Yeah, well, you know, we're always on standby. We're always ready to, you

know, roll with the punches because Mifepristone is something that is constantly being

attacked by anti's and anti-abortion lawmakers. So recently, you know, they were really

trying to ban mifepristone, and so we were ready to move to an all misoprostol regimen,

which is actually what every other country in the world uses is a misoprostol only regimen.

The U.S. is one of the few that does this, this that does both mifepristone and misoprostol.

And for those not familiar, those are the abortion pills. The first pill would be mifepristone,

which you know helps stop the progesterone from progressing the pregnancy and the

misoprostol is what helps the uterus expel whatever is in the uterus. So yeah, you know

these are laws that are these are laws that are constantly shifting, and you know they're not

giving up. It's like yeah, we want you to have these kids, but we won't help you feed them,

and we won't help you have free childcare. I think more people would choose to have

children, but because they're so financially unattainable for many people, and that's not

the only reason people don't have kids. I mean, there's so many other reasons, but I do feellike there would be people who would have kids if it was financial, financially feasible, and

something that was actually protected, but all this to say, the legal landscape is always

changing, and that is one way that you know providers are shifting. And you know we're not

the only clinic who has a misoprostol only protocol. I know everyone is just on standby,

ready to roll that out if mifepristone is ever not legally accessible. But you know, in

Wyoming, we also have some restrictive laws, and that's one of the states that we serve. So

recently, there's just been this flipping back and forth of it's legal, it's not legal, and so our

Wyoming patients sometimes have to travel if during that time we're not, you know, it's not

accessible legally.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Yeah, thank you for kind of going into more detail about

that because I know like it's important that we have the information to see how our

organizations, our healthcare agencies that we rely on for you know, abortion care and

other services like how are they going going to pivot? How can we be flexible and still meet

the needs of our community members while also you know acknowledging the limitations

demanded by the current administration? Right. So yeah, we will always have abortion, as

we have since you know the beginning of people becoming pregnant and not wanting to

continue their pregnancies.

Cristina Ponce: Yes, and resources are always available. Like if if for whatever reason we at

Just the Pill can't help a patient. We always make sure to provide the resources that they

want and need, and make sure that they get connected and have the resources that they

need to get connected with Elevated Access. Which, for those not familiar, is an

organization that will fly patients out completely free of cost to the location that they need,and I know that they do that for any restrictive state, whether that be Texas, Oklahoma, you

know, whatever it may be. They will help patients travel and love them so much at elevated

access because they really do help patients get the care that they need or that they want.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: No, that's perfect. I'm so glad that you're sharing that

because I've never even heard of them, and I think that that's fantastic for folks that you

know might be in areas where they can't easily access a clinic, as we've seen so many

abortion clinics and just even healthcare clinics and hospitals shut down across the

country due to many different reasons, but especially funding losses, funding restrictions.

Again, going back to even just like federal administration changes for funding and so much

more. But of course, you know we we might see how there are even patients in rural areas

that might need that kind of help and access because you know we also do like specifically

within like the Auraria Campus do serve students who are online students, right? So they

could be coming from literally anywhere, not just the state of Colorado. And I also wanted

to share a couple of more quick statistics for our listeners to have again just more

information. But we do see how the CDC in 2024 report that pregnancy can significantly

increase the danger for survivors of interpersonal violence. You know, within like their living

situation with abusive partners, and of course, also we saw from that same report from the

CDC during 2024 that out of all people with you know recent live births, 6% have been

reported to have experienced intimate partner violence, right? And so it is maybe even

more common than that can represent. And I know that you know sometimes it can be hard

for us also find like updated research with the right numbers, especially when it comes to

survivors of interpersonal violence who may not be as able, right, who share theircircumstances and their experiences. So I do want to acknowledge that as well. That there

might be a lot that goes unreported, but pregnancy does create these extra layers of danger

for folks, and also, you know, the CDC reported in that 2024 report that more than two

thirds of those abused during pregnancy were also abused before pregnancy. So again, we

see how you know it is-it's not just like a single instance; it is a pattern, and nearly half of all

pregnancy-associated homicides involved intimate partner violence. So those are very

jarring statistics. And just you know, we can also recognize how the CDC reported that

more than 3 million women have experienced pregnancy that has resulted from rape, you

know, and so not having access to abortion is just gonna increase the levels of distress for

these survivors of rape, of interpersonal and sexual violence, and you know, they also the

CDC reported that nearly 5 million women have experienced pregnancy resulting from

sexual coercion, specifically right, and so you know, forcing them to engage in sexual

activities against their will, and many many women were also noted to have been assaulted

by intimate partners, and so those women were more likely to experience pregnancy

resulting from rape while in those abusive relationships than those assaulted by strangers.

So that's another important part of the CDC's report, and so you know, even when we see

like policies like HB 1232 coming from North Carolina's House of Representatives, which

you know works to limit access to healthcare services like abortions and IUDs, they do you

know these policies create enormous barriers to obtaining abortions and contraception,

and survivors experiencing these interpersonal violence situations, these you know

instances of reproductive coercion, they lose their bodily autonomy. They lose their right,

you know, to healthcare. So really, I want to emphasize that you know, for survivors,abortion access is not just only a healthcare issue, but it is you know a safety issue. And so,

do you have any other thoughts that you wanted to share before we move to closing,

Cristina?

Cristina Ponce: Well, I would like listeners to know a little bit about CPCs, crisis pregnancy

centers. So these are clinics that pose as professional healthcare clinics, however,

typically they lack an actual provider, a doctor, or a clinician. Or if they do have a clinician,

this clinician is very religiously biased and against abortion. So typically, these CPCs will

advertise like a free ultrasound or free pregnancy test, and they do target universities and

they do target lower income communities, so that you are more enticed to get this free

pregnancy test and also an ultrasound. And then when you get there, they really try to get

you to have this pregnancy to term, they tried to really scare people with anti-abortion

rhetoric and anti-abortion medical statistics that aren't true. Like your uterus will fall out, or

I don't know. They just they lie. They lie to patients who are vulnerable about whether or not

an abortion is safe, and typically they aren't healthcare professionals. It can be a very

traumatic experience. So you know, use your discernment if there is a clinic advertising free

pregnancy tests or free ultrasounds, and it seems like they'd be willing to talk about

abortion, I would just do some research before heading over there because it can be a very

traumatic experience to be talked to and judged about considering an abortion. And no one

should ever feel judged about wanting an abortion. That's also one misconception that I

had before having an abortion. I thought that it was going to be like this cold room with this

white male doctor who is going to make me feel shame or like slut shame me about my

abortion, and that is not at all what happened. I literally felt so taken care of during my firstabortion, and my second abortion was self managed. So you know, I had the pills at home,

and I self managed my abortion. But that is just one thing that is available to be able to self-

manage your abortion. You don't have to go to a clinic if you don't want to, especially if you

don't want to be exposed to like anti's screaming things at you outside of a clinic. You know,

keep that in mind, especially if you're an early gestational age. You can self-manage an

abortion within the comfort of your home, especially if you have a support person who you

trust, who is not an abusive person that you can self-manage an abortion. But yeah, I guess

that's pretty much it. I just wanted to warn people a little bit about CPCs and their

existence because they are definitely a nuisance.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Yeah, no, and we've definitely seen like at our campus,

we've seen a definite increase in the presence of anti-abortion folks, anti-abortion

agencies, organizations, just like around the campus, or like folks that are put on campuses

to represent anti-abortion organizations, as I mentioned. So, like one that I saw recently

during the spring semester this year was the Students for Life of America, Auraria Campus

affiliate. So they were, you know, spreading anti-abortion myths and telling and sharing

with students and other campus community members that medication abortion is

dangerous for the person taking it and for the fetus. So yeah, definitely wanted to make our

listeners aware of that as they may come into contact with them. I did want to mention

some other folks that, as Cristina mentioned, do promote how they can help with

unplanned pregnancies. However, they're not going to give you the full information that you

need to make a well-informed decision on your pregnancy or to help you access an

abortion if that's what you're seeking, right? As crisis pregnancy centers do. So, someorganizations similar to that Students for Life of America would be the Avi Project. So they

say that you know they're a nonprofit in Colorado that supports college students facing

unplanned pregnancies. However, you know again always do your research because we

have found them to be a heavy presence on campus, as well as we have some posters on

like the bus stops, advertising groups like Alternatives Pregnancy Center. However, again,

always do your research beforehand. Definitely look through different reviews because you

know some of the tactics that these groups might be using to have people access their

services, quote unquote, are very misleading, right? So these are very misleading

environments, like staff wearing white coats, even though they are not, you know, licensed

medical professionals. They might try to use different medical terms to appear like they are

licensed healthcare professionals. They might advertise a quote unquote abortion pill

reversal or abortion pill reversal services, but that is medically unsupported. So we

definitely want to emphasize that to you all. And just overall, they'll have different scare

tactics, and they'll be pushing different items at you, like you know these misleading,

inaccurate fetal models, or they'll show very biased videos to guilt you as you're there in

your appointment, or they'll attempt to sway your decision if you are seeking an abortion at

one of these places, crisis pregnancy centers, where you know they're offering material

goods like baby clothes and diapers, even though you might have very adamantly asked for

an abortion, but they're pushing you towards that decision, right? So they'll also be sharing

scientifically inaccurate claims about abortion, like links to breast cancer or infertility,

which again, like studies have shown that that is false. So, these are just some of the ways

that you can identify them. But you can also go to the crisis pregnancy center maps, whichare promoted by reliable groups like Planned Parenthood, so that you can identify the

verified crisis pregnancy centers or CPCs anywhere in your area in your state, like the state

of Colorado. You can also look with legitimate locators like Planned Parenthood or search

the Abortion Finder, which is an official like website to help. You find you know confirmed

licensed healthcare providers.

Cristina Ponce: I need an A is another one that's really good, and also it seems like they

pay to be the first to advertise. If you look up like I need an abortion, they they pay the big

bucks to be the first thing that pops up on your Google search. So yeah, just use your

discernment. If it seems too too good to be true. If it seems like oh, you know, free

pregnancy tests, free this, free that, you know, abortion providers will tell you the cost of

things, and if you can't afford it, they will find the funding for you. So beware, and yeah, if

you want an abortion, you can absolutely access it, no matter where you are in the 50

states. So, just you know, I need an A or Planned Parenthood location finder, and you can

access the abortion that you want because it is your decision. It is your body, and nobody

can tell you what to do with it. Not even laws.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Yes, exactly. Thank you, Cristina. Absolutely. And also

wanted to ask if you have any words for the college students that might be listening, for the

survivors about abortion care and autonomy.

Cristina Ponce: Well, first off, I think abusive relationships can really alter your reality, and

I just want you to know that you are worthy of the healthcare that you want. That you are

worthy of respect and dignity, whatever clinic that you go to, and help and resources are outthere. But I know how difficult interpersonal violence can be to walk away. So you know, no

pressure. Just know that you're not alone, and that there is support out there. And a lot of

these clinics offer aftercare, and there's counseling available at most clinics, especially

brick and mortar clinics. So yeah, it's okay to want an abortion, and it's okay to seek one,

especially if you are being coerced in any way into keeping a pregnancy. You still have

agency, despite what somebody might want to make you believe.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Perfect. Yes, and again, you know, the Phoenix Center at

Auraria will help all survivors of interpersonal violence to the best of our ability. So we will

support you with making the best decision for you, and we can help you find and access

the resources needed if you would like to access abortion care, or if you need other

services as well related to your reproductive health, so we are always happy to do our best

to connect with all survivors of interpersonal violence at Auraria Campus. We will help you

navigate the resources needed because you are not alone, and we definitely want to

remind you of that, as you know, we speak with professionals like Cristina, and we get a

better idea of the resources out there and the funding. So you definitely have support with

us, and you have support with amazing organizations like Cristina's. So yeah, would you like

to just maybe end on a hopeful note and let us know, like, you know, maybe like what

makes you happy about doing this work, and kind of like what gives you hope within this

work?

Cristina Ponce: I think that my colleagues and people doing this work, you know, people

like you who are really advocating for healthcare access, whatever that may be, you know,

you can go to a clinic and change your mind. Nobody's gonna force you to have an abortion,and nobody's gonna judge you for wanting one or not wanting one. So I think that what gives

me hope is putting people in the driver's seat of their bodily autonomy and making sure that

people know that they have options. That options are available, and no matter your

gestational age, no matter your age, no matter your circumstance, your your racial or

gender identity, no matter what, you have options. And there are people because I've met

them and because I've seen the work that are more than willing to help you access the

resources that you need to get you the care that you want and need. So yeah, I just I think

what gives me hope is that people aren't giving up despite these restrictive laws, and we

won't we won't give up. The work continues, and patients are always so grateful. They're

always just like thank you so much for not I I didn't feel judged any step of the way you

made it so easy you know things like that that really give me hope and especially even my

own experiences with abortion and so it really being able to gift somebody the agency that I

felt over my life, being able to help them access that, really does speak to me. And yeah,

you know, nobody deserves to be in an abusive relationship. You're not somebody who is

broken or lesser than because you're in an interpersonal violence relationship or

circumstance. So yeah, there's nothing wrong with the circumstance that you are in. It is a

very human experience, and yeah, just want to humanize that it's not out of this world to be

an interpersonal violence situation.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Yeah, thank you so much. That was beautiful. You know,

yes, anyone can experience interpersonal violence. Anyone can become a survivor. You

know, thank you, Cristina, too, for just being vulnerable and sharing like what you went

through. Because someone that's listening might have similar circumstances, and maybethey'll be able to relate, or maybe they'll be able to identify, you know, what's going on in

their own life that they would like to have like support with so, you know. Thank you for just

like trusting us with who you are and what you went through. And you know, I am just so

grateful to know you.

Cristina Ponce: Thank you, Cassandra. I'm so blessed to know you also, and I'm really

grateful for this opportunity. I really hope that listeners can gain something from what I have

to share, and you know the resources are out there, and I'm really grateful that you're here

doing this work and providing support to survivors. Just thank you so much for the work that

you do, Cassandra. I really appreciate you. I'm sending you a big hug. Yeah, listeners, just

tune in to more episodes, and there's so many resources here. There's good information.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: Yeah, thank you so much, Cristina, for you know taking the

time to just join us today on the Phoenix Cast. You know, thank you for sharing your

knowledge and your personal professional experiences with these topics. And you know,

listeners, today's conversation really does just remind us how important reproductive

autonomy is. You know, our reproductive autonomy means more than just having access to

healthcare, but it really does mean safety and dignity is at the forefront of like our priorities

here at the Phoenix Center and with many of us advocates across the country, you know,

we feel, Cristina and I definitely that every person's ability to make informed decisions

about their own body without, you know, coercion, fear, or violence is incredibly important,

and that's what you know we're fighting towards. And so, yeah, thank you all for listening to

the Phoenix Cast, and we'll see you next time.Cristina Ponce: Bye.

Cassandra Carmona-Wayman: If you or someone you know is experiencing interpersonal

violence, you can visit the Phoenix Center in Tivoli 227. You can call our 24/7 free and

confidential helpline at 303-556-2255, or schedule an appointment with us online at

thepca.org.