A company called Hey Jane, which calls itself the leading virtual abortion provider in the United States and claims 55,000-plus clients, expanded into Nevada in mid-April.
A virtual abortion (or telemedicine abortion) is a medication-induced abortion prescribed by a health-care provider. After a consultation, which may take place via text, chat, phone or video call, patients receive two medications by mail—mifepristone, which blocks the hormone needed to continue a pregnancy, and misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract. Various services assure delivery of the pills by mail within one to six days.
Medication abortions are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy. A 2024 study by the research and policy organization Guttmacher found that in the United States in 2023, 63% of abortions were medication abortions. A 2024 study by the Society of Family Planning found that 19% of abortions in the U.S. are prescribed by telehealth providers.
Hey Jane has a national staff of 18 doctors, nurses and care advocates, and a 24/7 emergency line.
In addition to Hey Jane, there are a handful of other virtual abortion providers in the U.S. Among them is Carafem, which lists Nevada among the 16 states (and the District of Columbia) it serves. Planned Parenthood also offers telehealth abortions locally.
Hey Jane’s CEO, Kiki Freedman, declined to quote exact rates for Hey Jane’s services, but she said in an email that the cost of care depends on a several factors: “Hey Jane offers sliding-scale pricing based on each patient’s financial circumstances. … Care can cost as little as $0—and is always less than the average in-clinic cost.”
At Planned Parenthood, the cost also varies, averaging $580 and going up to $800. Several online resources also cite $800 as a likely price ceiling. Groups such as the National Federation for Abortion offer financial assistance.
Dr. Chelsea Travers, a physician who works at Northen Nevada HOPES, responded to Hey Jane’s arrival in Nevada in a phone interview.
“I’ve actually had two patients use this service,” she said. “I’ve heard from their perspective how easy it was. I think it’s all really reassuring, actually. I think what it does is open up access to the people who may not even feel comfortable going to a clinic.”
She listed, in particular, teens, people who are undocumented, and anyone who may have a fear of the medical system.
“It just opens up that pathway to making sure people are parenting when they’re ready without that fear of stigma,” she said.
On May 24, Louisiana became the first state in the nation to legally classify abortion pills as controlled substances, a category typically used for drugs considered risks for abuse or addiction. What might this eventually mean for access to medication abortions in Nevada?
Denise Lopez, director of the Nevada Campaign for Reproductive Freedom for All—a group that aims to get abortion access enshrined in Nevada’s Constitution—responded to the Louisiana news in a phone interview.
“Nevada does not have a legislative session this year, but we are worried about what other states are doing,” she said. “We know that they have a track record of copying legislation that prevents abortion. We’re seeing how that has happened with abortion bans and restrictions, including in states like Texas, Arizona, Utah and Idaho.”