Compassionate, Digital Support for a Safer Abortion Experience
For many people, accessing abortion care is not just a medical decision, it’s a journey that deserves compassion, clarity, and support. That’s where Ally By Your Side comes in.
Developed by HowToUseAbortionPill.org, Ally By Your Side is a new, person-centered feature within Ally, your trusted abortion support chatbot. Designed to support users through every step of their medication abortion journey, this digital friend provides reliable information, reassurance, and personalized guidance, all within a safe, confidential space.
In this blog we will explain what it is and how it works, but we have also prepared a short video to help you familiarize yourself with it.
What Is Ally By Your Side?
Ally By Your Side is a feature created to support individuals using abortion pills (either the mifepristone + misoprostol combination or misoprostol-only regimen) before 13 weeks of pregnancy.
Through gentle reminders, check-ins, and easy-to-understand instructions messages on WhatsApp, Ally ensures that users never feel alone during their abortion. It’s like having a calm, informed friend by your side, ready to support you with trusted, science-based information whenever you need it.
How Does Ally By Your Side Work?
Getting started with Ally By Your Side is simple and user-friendly:
Ally welcomes users in six languages, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swahili, and Hindi, ensuring accessibility for people around the world.
Users who have obtained abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol, or misoprostol only) and want support during their abortion journey before 13 weeks can register on the HowToUse website or any other website that has Ally integrated, by opening the chat, clicking on “Ally by Your Side” button or selecting it on the three bars menu.
Once everything is set, you will receive the messages on WhatsApp at the time they have scheduled to start the pills intake. It’s very important that you always click the buttons to continue. Ally needs these confirmations to send you notifications at the right time.
Once the chat begins, users can explore topics about abortion with pills, ask open-ended questions, or opt to start their journey with Ally By Your Side.
A Step-by-Step Friend
Depending on the chosen protocol, either the mifepristone + misoprostol combination or misoprostol-only, Ally provides tailored guidance:
- Reminder to take mifepristone at the scheduled time.
- Reminders to timely take misoprostol doses.
- Ally checks in to ask if an extra dose of misoprostol is needed, offering next steps based on the response.
- Instructions to take ibuprofen beforehand and messages checking on cramping and bleeding to ensure users feel supported.
Throughout, Ally offers practical tips for comfort and pain management, emphasizing empathy and person-centered care.
Aftercare and Privacy
Once the process is complete, Ally sends a final check-in after 24 hours.
From there, users can continue to ask questions anytime, or delete the chat entirely to protect their privacy.
Why Ally By Your Side Matters?
- Expert-Designed Flows: Created and reviewed by sexual and reproductive health experts for safety and accuracy.
- Empathetic AI Support: Generative AI answers are limited to trusted sources and continually improved.
- Human Oversight: Real experts review content regularly to maintain reliability and care.
- Multilingual Accessibility: Expanding access to abortion information for people across regions and languages.
- 24/7 Guidance: Support whenever users need it, day or night.
Empowering Choice, Building Trust
Ally is more than a chatbot, it’s a digital ally for those seeking autonomy and reassurance in their abortion journey. By blending technology with empathy, it delivers safe, accurate, and compassionate support at scale.
To learn more or explore partnership opportunities, contact: partnerships@womenfirstdigital.org
Learn more about Ally on howtouseabortionpill.org/ally-abortion-chatbot-support
Shisleni de Oliveira is the Program Manager of HowToUseAbortionPill.org/