For people needing abortions, getting accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information is very challenging these days. The internet is filled with misinformation – some of it quite dangerous and possibly life-threatening.
Knowing who to trust can be difficult, especially in states with abortion restrictions, like Florida. And keeping someone’s personal information private and secure is paramount.
This is where Charley comes in. Charley is a new online chatbot designed to connect people in need of abortions—specifically those in restricted states like Florida —to truthful and up-to-date information about the options available.
Charley is private and secure and can help people figure out the legal status of abortion law in their state, where the nearest clinics are, how to safely access abortion pills, and other information they need to make the choice that’s right for them.
Charley operates via a chat function; so, users feels like they are texting with a trusted friend. It is simple to use and always up to date. There is no tracking, no saving, and no sharing of personal information.
Charley was created by a team of reproductive health experts and abortion advocates, collaborating with doctors, lawyers, and partners. To stay up-to-date and ensure accuracy, Charley automatically pulls the latest information on state abortion restrictions, nearby clinics, and abortion pill options from various reliable databases. All the information Charley shares has been vetted and approved by legal and medical experts, and the partners and directories it links to are all trusted reproductive justice and abortion advocacy organizations.
How to Access Charley
To access Charley, go to ChatwithCharley.org or the Tallahassee-based partner website that hosts the Charley chatbot: RBGFund.org. Users get friendly, expert guidance that explains different abortion methods (from procedural abortion to abortion with pills), as well as how to access care (from in-clinic to telemedicine to self-sourced pills). Charley also helps locate the closest abortion clinics.
Abortion Initiative
Currently, abortion is legal in Florida up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. Recently, though, the Florida Legislature passed a law making abortion legal only until the 6th week of pregnancy – before most persons even know that they are pregnant. Six weeks pregnant means six weeks after the last menstrual period – not from the day of the missed period. In other words, when a person misses their period, they then have only two weeks to confirm the pregnancy; schedule and travel for the abortion; fulfill the required 24-hour waiting period; and have their procedure.
The six-week law is currently on hold until the Florida Supreme Court releases its opinion in a challenge to the 15-week law, which could happen any day. If the Court upholds the 15-week law, the 6-week law will go into effect 30 days later.
To combat these cruel laws and to ensure that all Floridians are able to decide what is best for their own lives and bodies, Floridians Protecting Freedom has launched a citizen-led ballot initiative. This initiative, entitled the “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion,” seeks to create a constitutional amendment that would protect Floridians’ freedom to access abortion.
To learn more about this initiative and to sign the petition to put abortion on the ballot in November 2024, go to FloridiansProtectingFreedom.com.
Recent news on abortion rights has not been encouraging. This is our time to fight back. Help us make sure that everyone seeking an abortion gets accurate and up-to-date information, and be sure to sign the petition to get abortion on the ballot.
Anne Swerlick and Karen Woodall serve on the Board of Directors of the Rapid Benefits Group (RBG) Fund, a Tallahassee-based 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to provide financial and other assistance to persons facing barriers to accessing adequate health care, including reproductive health services.
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