A makeshift national network of abortion doulas, navigators at clinics and individual volunteers are helping people who live in restrictive states and need or want an abortion. They provide advice, referrals, financial assistance and emotional support. Abortion rights advocates say these helpers are especially important in states with strict abortion laws where options are narrowing. Abortion opponents say the laws protect the unborn and point women to their centers, which provide things like parenting classes and baby supplies. Volunteers who help women find abortions say the work is just as essential as something like a volunteer fire department.
