An API (Application Programming Interface) acts as a messenger between two programs. When a website sends a 'request' to the API, the API returns a 'response' with the correct state-specific data.

The Abortion Policy API benefits from the collaborative policy analysis of experts from dozens of reproductive rights, health, and justice organizations. Cooperation among this group of experts helps ensure that the API reflects a consensus about these developments, when they go into effect, how they should be interpreted. Contributing members include staff from Guttmacher, Planned Parenthood, Power to Decide, Abortion Finder, Ineedana.com, Lawyers for Good Government, the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), RHITES, Online Abortion Resource Squad (OARS), Patient Forward, and the Abortion Policy API.

Our goal is to make abortion policy data accessible, dependable, and free for use by anyone, without gatekeeping. We view this resource as a public good, and one that we hope people will use to make information available to those who need it. This ensures that we remain accountable to abortion seekers rather than funders or clients.

Current users include: Planned Parenthood, Charley the Chatbot, Abortion Finder, Ineedana.com

The Abortion Policy API began as an all-volunteer project in 2017 in response to a rise in state specific TRAP laws. In 2024, the API became a sub-project of Patient Forward to enable operational and financial support. Patient Forward is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy. The Abortion Policy API project is co-led by Julie Rosing and Garin Marschall.