Abortion chatbot Charley helps women end their pregnancies

[Stone]

Abortion chatbot Charley helps women end their pregnancies: 'Let's get started'
Chatbot was co-founded by ex-Planned Parenthood leadership — Fox News Digital spoke to the company and to doctors

Fox News [slightly adapted] | September 19, 2023


For those women who are considering terminating their pregnancies, a new chatbot called Charley aims to help them start the process of getting an abortion.

The chatbot, which launched on Sept. 12, is available on Charley’s website, greeting visitors with the message, "Need an abortion? Let’s get started."

On its website, Charley is described as "designed by abortion experts, made for abortion seekers."

One of its co-founders is Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood. Richards "oversees legal, political, and policy matters and leads fundraising efforts" for Charley, according to the chatbot’s website.

Another co-founder is Tom Subak, former chief strategy officer at Planned Parenthood.

A new chatbot called Charley aims to help women start the process of getting an abortion. (Charley/iStock)

Charley isn’t an app — it lives online, on its own website.

While individuals can freely visit the site, the company is also seeking medical providers who will agree to embed the chatbot directly on their own websites, "to meet abortion seekers wherever they are online," said Nicole Cushman, Charley’s New York-based content manager, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Cushman, who has held leadership positions at Planned Parenthood, said the idea for the chatbot came about after Roe v. Wade was overturned — with the goal of "improving people’s online search experience."

"Our research showed that people were turning primarily to Google for information about abortion options in the post-Roe landscape, and that it was very challenging for abortion seekers to connect to available options," she said.

People "were ending up in an endless Google loop."

"This was particularly the case if they were living in a state with an abortion ban or restriction — they were ending up in an endless Google loop."

One of Charley's co-founders is Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood. The company is seeking medical providers who will agree to embed the chatbot directly on their own websites. (Charley)

Charley’s creators envisioned a "simple, effective way to pull together information from a range of sources" and "cut through the confusion," Cushman told Fox News Digital.


How Charley works

Unlike large language models like ChatGPT, Charley doesn’t allow people to type questions. Instead, the chatbot uses a "decision tree" format that guides visitors through a series of pre-written prompts, including the desired type of abortion and the date of their last menstrual period.

It also asks for a zip code to determine the specific abortion laws in the visitor’s state of residence.

For example, when Fox News Digital entered a zip code in Ohio, the response was: "Currently, abortion care is legal in Ohio, but only up to 22 weeks. This means that, if you act quickly, you‘ll be able to get abortion care in your state. If you need more time or can’t get an appointment before then, you may still have options in another state."

For abortion seekers under 18 years of age, Charley notifies them whether state law requires a parent’s permission to get an abortion — and also offers assistance for minors to ask a judge for permission to get the procedure on their own.

At the end of the series of questions, the chatbot provides a summary of expected costs, alternate funding options and a directory of resources to find an abortion provider.

"Those resources might include a link to a directory to locate the nearest clinic, a link to telehealth providers — or help lines for legal, medical, financial or emotional support," Cushman told Fox News Digital.

"Our research showed that people were turning primarily to Google for information about abortion options."

The pre-scripted information provided by the chatbot was developed by a team of "medical and legal experts," she added.


Potential risks of the abortion chatbot

Charley is designed as a "triage solution" to provide information and education so that people can make "an informed decision" about their next steps, Cushman said.

"For some people, the next best step may be to make an appointment to see a provider in person, or to call a hotline for more direct support," she noted.

"There’s no harm in chatting with Charley, but it’s not the end of their journey," she also said.

Tom Subak, former chief strategy officer at Planned Parenthood, is also a co-founder of Charley. Security and privacy has been an area of "heightened concern" among people searching for abortion care online, a content manager from the company shared with Fox News Digital.  (Charley)

At some points during the chat, Charley may quickly hand off the visitor to an external resource — for example, if she is experiencing a medical emergency or potential pregnancy complications, Cushman noted.

She also said, however, that not all pregnant women require in-person care before seeking an abortion.

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