All-Trimester Care in New Mexico

VAG is needed now

VAG will fill a dire need for abortion care services, which have become extremely difficult to access since Roe v. Wade was overturned. In many areas of the country, wait times for abortion care are long; patients past the first stage of pregnancy may have to wait 4–5 weeks, meaning they will need more specialized treatment. We know from research that patients who cannot access abortion care are more likely to experience housing and financial insecurities. With very few abortion providers offering services after the first trimester, the needs of these families and patients are a priority and require a committed team of trained staff who can provide compassionate care. Many states have enacted bans that have disincentivized abortion care training and VAG is committed to training providers during a time where abortion access is severely restricted.

VAG addresses these pressing needs by offering responsive, survivor-centered abortion services for pregnant patients, ranging from low-intervention methods to surgical procedures, in a compassionate environment.

Advantages of our care model

Patients come to us at a highly vulnerable moment in their lives. Unlike providers in large healthcare settings, we can focus on providing specialized care to the patient and the family.

Survivor-centered care assumes that a person is more likely than not to be a survivor of trauma, and allows the VAG team to give this care to each person without having to assess for trauma. This model empowers patients by prioritizing their rights, safety, well-being, needs, and wishes. It ensures that each patient is treated with dignity and respect, reflected in the type of language that is used with patients, the design of spaces for privacy and lighting, and individualized care plans. Practicing a survivor-centered approach means establishing a relationship with the patient that promotes their emotional and physical safety, builds trust, and helps them to restore some control over their life.

Our low-intervention model of care puts equal emphasis on the physical and emotional care of the patient. In contrast to standard hospital obstetric care, this model centers the individual patient’s needs over institutional demands and recognizes that calm, steady, and reassuring support diminishes fear and improves outcomes.

Our vision for the future

We are working in collaboration with the community to include services such as Medicaid coverage, childcare, sex education, and contraception care. Beyond building a just, compassionate model of care, we are committed to training the next generation of providers who will reflect the populations we serve and define new ways to deliver services to protect the future of abortion care nationwide.