By Lily Sexton
When the U.S. The Supreme Court decided to overturn constitutional protection for reproductive rights, a group of pilots found a way to fight back.
Elevated Access is a volunteer network that works to fly women across state lines in a private aircraft to receive reproductive care or gender-affirming care. The flight is always free for the patient and the organization puts a lot of emphasis on anonymity–keeping the identity of the patients and the pilots confidential. With each takeoff, the organization is able to alleviate the burden of transportation costs for the patient, and they do it without exy kind of recognition.
The need for this type of organization became more apparent in 2022 when states started to impose restrictions on abortion. Twenty-one different states all introduced anti-abortion legislature, leaving millions of women without access to critical reproductive healthcare services if they’re unable to travel to a state that allows it. The reasons behind being unable to travel range from lack of funds, no time off work, inadequate transport, unavailable childcare, or anything in between–but the mission of this organization is to bridge that gap, and make abortion more accessible and equitable for all.
“At the highest level, we are about bodily autonomy,” said Fiona, a volunteer at Elevated Access –which has all of their staff use only their first names for legal protection. “And we believe that it’s a fundamental human right, to be able to make your own decisions about your own body and your own healthcare.”
The founder of the organization, Mike, saw a desperate need for healthcare transportation when he was in Illinois and witnessing people at the end of their 10-hour drive from Texas. According to data published in Guttmacher Institute, a Texan seeking an abortion would need to travel an average of 525 miles one way to access an abortion in another state.
“[Mike] already flew planes as a hobby, and after seeing the great lengths women were going through to cross state lines–he asked if it would make more sense to fly them. And that’s when the idea got born,” said Fiona.
Since then, the organization has grown significantly. The network of volunteer pilots has seen well over 800 people reach out by phone and text to ask how to volunteer, all ready to fly a complete stranger across state lines without any recognition.
On social media, the organization also posts occasional updates with the number of successful flights they’ve been able to orchestrate. The most recent post, dated Nov. 28, 2023, was 750 people. But Fiona says there’s more to that number.
“Hundreds of people have literally taken a flight with us, but we’ve helped countless more,” she said. “If you include their spouse and their other children or whoever they’re supporting, the impact is much larger.”
For some of those patients, the service has never been more important. There are currently states that outlaw abortion outright or in time frames as little as six weeks–when most women don’t even know they are pregnant.
Women are put into touch with the volunteer network through a direct-support organization, an abortion hotline, a case worker or a healthcare provider. One of the organizations that often refers to women is The Brigid Alliance, a service that works with women across the nation who must travel long distances for abortion care.
Leidy Londoño, director of client services for The Brigid Alliance, said its average client must travel for an appointment in a state that allows abortions later in pregnancy. When a woman calls a resource center looking for help to secure this type of appointment, it can refer the patient to Elevated Access.
“The option is ideal for someone who doesn’t have the luxury of flexible time off from their job or someone who already has children and can’t afford child care for more than one day,” Londoño said.
Once a woman is referred to the organization, she is put in touch with a pilot who has availability.
Fiona said that the passengers and pilots exchange cell phone numbers and logistics such as time and place, but everything else is kept confidential. Also, the small size of the plane means that they don’t need documentation when they’re flying short distances, adding an extra level of personal identity protection.
A volunteer pilot for the organization, who goes by his first name Adrien, or his social media username @cheesepilot, said what the process is like for the pilots.
“We pick up the passengers the way you would pick up anybody going anywhere, it’s just like driving a car,” said Adrien. “We have no idea why this individual is flying from Point A to Point B, and we’re instructed not to ask.”
The anonymity is important to the organization because it protects everyone involved in the rapidly changing legal landscape, but it only works when every pilot is willing to volunteer their time and resources without any recognition or praise. For the group of people involved at Elevated Access, this has never been an issue.
Adrien said that his personal motivation behind his volunteer efforts is rooted in the way he was raised, especially his mother getting pregnant at a young age and not having access to the care she needed. “I remember growing up in an environment with food scarcity, parents being so strapped for cash that kids can’t eat more than three packs of ramen, or else we’re not gonna be able to pay rent,” he said.
“So when I found out that there was elevated access, providing transportation to life-changing. life-saving care, it was almost a no-brainer to help support their organization,” said Adrian.
Fiona spoke on behalf of the motivation of other pilots that she’s worked with, saying that a lot of them are either current or retired military, “They’re patriots, they feel like this country’s gone in the wrong direction and that they signed up to serve to protect our democracy. And by flying for us, that’s one of the ways they help do that.”
Other pilots come from all different backgrounds – but the number one characteristic that bonds them all together is their motivation to help people without any credit.
“They join because they have the skill and they want to help people,” said Fiona.
As for the future of Elevated Access, which has grown to have pilots volunteering in almost every state, Fiona said that she hopes to be able to stop their mission altogether.
“Abortion should be protected once again in a country that claims to put so much emphasis on freedom, I would say that’s the goal. And once that happens, there will be no need for Elevated Access,” she said.
