Publication Date: September 08, 2023
By: NWHN Staff
Charley was created to help people in all 50 states understand their abortion options. Everything Charley shares has been vetted by experienced public health professionals and reproductive health advocates, including medical and legal experts.
The chatbot automatically pulls data from trusted partner websites, so you always get accurate abortion information including what’s legal in your state, where your nearest clinics are, how to get abortion pills, as well as estimated prices and wait times.
Charley will never ask you for information like your name, address, email, or phone number. Anything you share is private, secure, and anonymous, and all conversations are deleted from our system hourly.
Choice
We believe that the decision to have an abortion is yours and yours alone. We are committed to making sure every abortion seeker has access to the information they need to make the decision that is best for them.
Equity
We know that things like the color of your skin, the language you speak or your personal financial situation can impact the kind of health care you receive. We built Charley to make sure anyone can access the abortion information they need, no matter who they are, how much money they have, or where they live.
Privacy
We value your privacy. We built Charley to give abortion seekers a secure way of getting personal and private information about their options while keeping their identity secret—no tracking, no saving, no sharing of any of your information with anyone.
Collaboration
We can’t do this alone. It’s more important now than ever to work together to support abortion seekers. Charley is here to help by connecting you directly with organizations that can help you decide your next best step.
Compassion
The attack on abortion rights has made finding care confusing, complicated, and scary, especially for abortion seekers in restricted states. Charley gets it and is here to help you feel less alone and point you in the right direction.
Innovation
We must use creativity and imagination to win the fight for abortion access. Technology is a tool that can help us find ways to make sure getting abortion information is fast, private, and as easy as texting a trusted friend.
Charley the chatbot is created and maintained by a passionate team of reproductive health experts and abortion advocates, with input from partner organizations, doctors, and lawyers.
Charley is here to help by connecting you directly with organizations that can help you decide your next best step.
Amy Merrill
Digital Advisor
Amy is cofounder and digital director of Plan C, and cofounder/president of purpose-driven creative studio Eyes Open. She brings both a creative campaign and tech lens to Charley’s development and rollout.
Bianca Sembrano
Administrative Lead
Bianca provides project management and administrative support to Charley. With a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Bianca is the former Chief of Staff at Clinical Health Network.
Cecile Richards
Cofounder
Cecile is the former President of Planned Parenthood and a lifelong champion of reproductive freedom for all. For Charley, she oversees legal, political, and policy matters and leads fundraising efforts.
Elisa Wells
Public Health Advisor
Elisa is cofounder and codirector of Plan C, and a public health researcher and advocate with 3+ decades of both domestic and international experience. She advises Charley on the current abortion landscape and on a patient or person-centered journey to access and care.
Frank Rosado
Technology Advisor
Frank is a nationally recognized engineering and information security professional. His career has focused on designing, building, and maintaining secure digital systems for organizations such as Coinbase and Planned Parenthood.
Kaori Sueyoshi
Partnerships Lead
Kaori is committed to supporting organizations dedicated to social good. She is a Strategy & Operations Consultant for M+A Hotline, advisor to Mayday Health, and previously was the Director of Innovation at Planned Parenthood
Kiana Tipton
Executive Director of Projects
Kiana is a digital and product marketing strategist, with roots in online advocacy and community organizing. Most recently, she led the digital marketing efforts for Teach For America’s Teacher Pay Initiative.
Lillian Tamayo
Latinx Outreach Lead
Lillian is the former President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida, and has spent over two decades defending abortion rights. She is a nationally recognized advocate for the LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities.
Nicole Cushman
Subject Matter Lead
Nicole is a passionate advocate for sex education and a public health and nonprofit management expert who has held leadership positions at Planned Parenthood and Answer. She oversees content development for Charley.
Tom Subak
Cofounder
Tom previously led Planned Parenthood’s digital department for 12 years, overseeing the development of the world’s largest online resource for reproductive healthcare. With Charley, he aims to transform healthcare through innovation.
Charley is supported by the NWHN and these trusted partner organizations, two of which the NWHN fiscally sponsors:
Abortion Freedom Fund
AidAccess
ineedana.com
M+A Hotline
National Network of Abortion Funds
Plan C
reprocare
repro legal helpline
Angeline Ti, MD
Medical Advisor
Dr. Ti is a family physician and family planning specialist in Atlanta, Georgia. She serves on the clinical committee for the Reproductive Health Access Project and is a guest researcher in the Division of Reproductive Health at the CDC.
April Lockley, DO
Medical Advisor
Dr. Lockley is a family medicine physician in New York. She is the medical director for the Miscarriage + Abortion Hotline and a founding member of a collective of family medicine physicians of color who provide abortion care.
Nery Guerrero, MD
Medical Advisor
Dr. Guerrero is a family medicine physician with advanced training in abortion care. The first in her family to graduate college, let alone medical school, Dr. Guerrero values community driven missions which foster growth and trust.
The following companies help make Charley possible:
Charley was designed with your privacy and safety in mind. Charley will never ask you for information like your name, address, email, or phone number, and it won’t share your information with any third party. All conversations are deleted from our system.
The information, including facts and statistics, that Charley shares with you has been checked by medical and legal experts, and the partners and directories it links to are all trusted reproductive justice and abortion advocacy organizations.
Charley understands that data tracking and privacy are top of mind for abortion seekers and can create obstacles to receiving abortion care. Charley was designed with your privacy and safety in mind – Charley never asks for your name or age, and Charley does not share data with third parties. All the info you give it gets deleted.
While users should feel safe using Charley to do research and get more information about their options, we encourage users to practice private browsing habits by removing the page from their browser history or using “incognito” mode.
Charley automatically pulls the latest information on state abortion restrictions, nearby clinics, and abortion pill options from a variety of reliable databases. All of the information Charley shares has been vetted by experienced reproductive health experts, doctors, and lawyers to ensure accuracy.
We want Charley to be available alongside as many abortion resources and pro-abortion organizations as possible. Our highest priority is preserving the privacy, security, and anonymity of abortion seekers that use the tool.
If you are interested in becoming a host, email us at [email protected].
You can support Charley by writing about the chatbot in your publication. For press inquiries, email [email protected].
Email the NWHN team at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
