Technology Planned Parenthood launches abortion health care finder app

Reproductive health care nonprofit Planned Parenthood has announced the Abortion Care Finder online tool. It's designed to help women figure out where they can access information about their options, plus any applicable state requirements and their nearest Planned Parenthood center for safe and legal abortions.

© Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. The Abortion Care Finder tool will help women find information online. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

The new app is available on both mobile and desktop, and will personalize info based on users' age, ZIP code and how far along in pregnancy they are. It includes data on gestational limits, parental notification and consent laws, mandatory waiting periods and other relevant rules like those requiring women to make two trips to a health care center.

Federal appeals court bars Ohio from enforcing Down syndrome abortion ban

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A divided federal appeals court panel on Friday said Ohio cannot enforce a law that bans an abortion after a test shows a fetus likely has Down syndrome. Two judges from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati voted to uphold a 2018 ruling made by U.S. District Judge Timothy Black, who wrote that the law is unconstitutional. One appeals judge dissented. Black, Two judges from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati voted to uphold a 2018 ruling made by U.S. District Judge Timothy Black, who wrote that the law is unconstitutional. One appeals judge dissented.

Planned Parenthood provides health care centers that offer the services you need. Routine visits with a health care provider are an important part of taking care of our health . Your nurse or doctor can give you important information about your personal health , help you prevent illness, and provide

Planned Parenthood offers expertise across a variety of health services for women. Our offerings range from pelvic exams, cancer screenings, and The compassionate staff at Planned Parenthood are experts in women’s health care . We provide essential reproductive and sexual health services

© SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Planned Parenthood said the tool is a response to "mounting state restrictions on abortion" across not only access to abortion services but also to accurate information. "The Abortion Care Finder uses technology to help put agency back in the hands of our patients," Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood CEO, said Tuesday.

Planned Parenthood's Direct app, which offers birth control and treatments for urinary tract infections, is also expanding nationwide, the nonprofit announced in September.

Planned Parenthood launched the Direct app in 2015 and slowly added states. Last October, the app added Texas. Through the app, users could chat with a Planned Parenthood provider online or through video chat to receive an STD testing kit or birth control in the mail.