Carole Joffe

Carole Joffe is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. She is co-author of a forthcoming book, Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America.

[Photo: An illustration of a clinic escort driving an abortion patient to a clinic.]

Abortion Providers Are Acting as Travel Agents. That’s Wrong.

David S. Cohen & Carole Joffe

The spread of COVID-19 will only further complicate the efforts to get abortion patients to clinics safely and efficiently.

[Photo: Boxes of Mifepristone and a Mifepristone blister pack lay on a table.]

Anti-Choice Activists Are Fighting a Losing Battle Against Medication Abortion

Carole Joffe & David S. Cohen

Medication abortion is a gamechanger for pregnant people, particularly when other forms of abortion are difficult to access or even unavailable.

When Hurricane Harvey Hit, Texas Abortion Providers Stepped Up

Carole Joffe

At one Texas clinic, staff gave up their Labor Day holiday for patients who had scheduled abortions during the storm, and Whole Woman's Health offered free abortions to those whose health care was disrupted by the weather.

If ‘Roe v. Wade’ Falls, Women Will Go to Jail

Carole Joffe

If Roe falls, women may not face the same kinds of physical dangers from seeking abortion as in previous decades. Instead, however, I predict there will be far more criminal prosecutions of those involved in illegal abortion.

These Black Men Pushed Abortion Access Before ‘Roe’

Carole Joffe

Black male judges such as Thurgood Marshall, state legislators, and physicians paved the way for legalized abortion, argued that the poor were hardest hit by restrictions, and made sure that women could get this essential care.

The Legacy—or Lack Thereof—of Phyllis Schlafly

Carole Joffe

Phyllis Schlafly was arguably the nation's staunchest anti-feminist, but her diatribes against women in the workforce showed how far out of step she was with U.S. women's lives and needs.

‘Abortion and Parenting Needs Can Coexist’: A Q&A With Parker Dockray

Carole Joffe

"Why should someone have to go to one place for abortion care or funding, and to another place—one that is often anti-abortion—to get diapers and parenting resources? Why can’t they find that support all in one place?"

From Sanger Raids to Fetal-Tissue Research Battles: A Short History of Hypocrisy

Carole Joffe

There's a long tradition of politicians and authority figures railing against reproductive health-care services, yet claiming the right to use them for their own benefit.

Anti-Choice Violence: Why Colorado Springs Is Different

Carole Joffe

Unlike nearly all the actions of other anti-abortion terrorists, the violence at the Colorado Springs clinic for which Dear was arrested did not appear to specifically target abortion providers. Rather, the institution of Planned Parenthood itself, along with anyone who happened to be on the premises, appeared to be the intended victim.

Carly Fiorina Has a Habit of Lying, But Does It Matter?

Carole Joffe

We are clearly living in a time in which lying by political leaders has become commonplace. But the nature of Fiorina’s particular untruths, and the public’s reactions to them, will offer a fascinating case study of just how many blatant falsehoods voters are willing to overlook.

Carole Joffe

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