Kentucky has one of the country's strictest abortion bans. A trigger law that went into effect the day of the 2022 Dobbs decision banned abortions at all stages, with narrow exceptions for medical emergencies.
Laws against abortion in Kentucky target the provider, not the patient; while it's illegal to perform an abortion in Kentucky, it is not illegal to receive one. Kentuckians seeking abortions are able to receive pills by mail or travel to a clinic in a state where abortion is legal, but those options come with a cost. For those with limited income, limited transportation, unstable housing, or domestic violence concerns, even a telehealth visit can be a barrier.
For some Kentuckians, the way around that barrier is in the passenger seat of a car belonging to a 70-something central Kentucky woman.
"A typical trip for me - and it's one that I've made probably four or five times now - would be to drive up to Planned Parenthood in Cincinnati and sit there and wait while the procedure is done, then load back up in the car and come home again. I always take my knitting."
That's Angelina - not her real name. She volunteers with Kentucky Health Justice Network to expand abortion access to people who would otherwise be unable to afford or access care.
"It's a chance to be there, to talk to somebody in their weaker moments, to tell stories, to keep them amused and occupied, to tell jokes, to make somebody laugh, to be able to make a difference both by getting them the access that they need and by making sure that I'm helping them emotionally by just being supportive."
Many of Angelina's passengers have been victims of domestic abuse and early childhood sexual abuse. Many are in dangerous living situations.
"Broke, homeless, unemployed - just the whole deck stacked against them," said Angelina. "They're carrying a lot of emotional weight from that."
Kentucky Health Justice Network pays for the procedure and arranges transportation to and from the clinic.
"They're walking on air when they come out of the facility because that burden - that part of the burden - has just been lifted."
Angelina says the chance to volunteer as a driver appealed to her because she likes to drive and because she sees herself in her passengers; she herself had an abortion in her early twenties.
"I was living in Cincinnati at the time, and I went to Planned Parenthood and they were very, very, very kind to me," said Angelina. "I had no money. I was broke. I was homeless. I was unemployed. And my friends helped me out."
The Planned Parenthood Angelina drives her passengers to is not the same one she received an abortion at in the 1970s - that one was firebombed by an anti-abortion activist in December 1985. Today, she and her passengers drive past protesters, show IDs to security, and head into the waiting room. Angelina brings her knitting with her. Her most recent project is a pair of socks.
"They're just absorbing enough to keep the brain busy if it needs to be busy, or to let your mind wander someplace else," said Angelina. "And in the end, somebody's got warm feet."