Jersey City — When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, access to abortion became restricted across the country leaving people without a safe option to pursue the procedure.
While some folks in states with restrictive abortion laws are able to travel to get procedures done, a vast majority are not. Women of color and low-income expectant mothers in particular face a huge barrier to access in regards to affording the procedure and accessibility.
To combat the difficulty in navigating the challenging landscape to receive abortion care, a team of abortion activists launched Chat with Charley, a private and secure abortion chat bot.
The platform, which launched last month, asks users a series of questions and provides answers about abortion restrictions in certain states, where the nearest abortion clinic is located and how to obtain abortion pills.
The Chat with Charley team reports that all information shared on the chatbot has been vetted by experienced reproductive health experts, doctors and lawyers to ensure accuracy. To ensure the safety of its users, the Charley chatbot does not collect personally identifiable data, nor does it share information with any third parties.
While the platform is new in that it is quite literally less than a month into its launch, seeing it lit up a fire in me. Using tech to build inclusion is one of my love languages.
In college, I co-led our Planned Parenthood Generation Action club, which was responsible for hosting events about reproductive justice and sexual health. But, even with that experience, I was never able to answer every single question about abortions.
Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three incidents I’ve been in, witnessing my peers contemplate what to do about an unplanned pregnancy. In those situations, we would put our heads together, research a lot - and maybe lean on our elders (meaning some big sister figures because talking about this topic with our specific parents was a no-go.)
If an option like Chat with Charley existed in those incidents, my peers and I would have found solutions a million times faster and with way less uncomfortable conversations.
The AI wave is here and it is undeniably the next big-thing in tech. When it comes to using AI to bridge gaps in information and access – I’m all for it. Especially for healthcare services like abortions.
Keeping it gee, the healthcare industry has ways to go to catch up with consumer technology and using AI will help speed things up. Gen Z loves having autonomy and being able to properly inform themselves before making big decisions. Platforms like Chat with Charley in my opinion, serves as the future for what’s next in inclusive technology.
Miranda Perez (she/her/hers) is a Jersey City, NJ-based journalist who covers the tech industry. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @mimithegee.
Edited by NaTyshca Pickett