EASTERN SIERRA HAS OPTIONS
Published in the April 11, 2026 issue.
Despite California’s abortion affirming laws, accessing reproductive healthcare in the Sierra is not easy.
This is a critical issue because, among other reasons, Inyo County has historically had a high adolescent pregnancy rate. As many as 32.4 per 1,000 young women were pregnant between 2010 and 2012, according to the California Department of Public Health.
This number has since decreased to 11.7 between 2022 and 2024.
Perhaps this decline in teen pregnancy could be attributed to the introduction of comprehensive sex-ed now taught to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in Inyo County. Or to the Bronco Clinic at Bishop Union High School, which offers confidential reproductive and sexual health care to students in Bishop and at Palisade Glacier High in Big Pine.
For adults, this conversation becomes trickier.
Both Inyo and Mono counties’ public health clinics offer free condoms, STI/STD testing and prenatal education. The rural women’s health clinic in Bishop has services like IUD insertions and removals, maternal-fetal medicine consultations, and menopause management.
The women’s health clinic at the Mammoth Hospital offers the same.
But for those with an unplanned pregnancy, seeking a procedural abortion involves driving hours to Bakersfield, Reno, or Los Angeles.
That’s because there are no procedural abortion providers at either the Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop or the Mammoth Hospital.
However, as of Nov. 2025, Mammoth Hospital offers the abortion pill to women who are up to 10 weeks pregnant. Both hospitals provide emergency abortion services in the case of a miscarriage.
“The easiest way for someone to access abortion care on the Eastside is through telehealth services and mail order abortion pills,” said Jen, a volunteer for Eastern Sierra Choice (easternsierrachoice.com), a local organization founded in Jan. 2025 to share resources and information on what people can do to access reproductive health care services on the Eastside.
“But that isn’t always the best solution for everyone,” Jen said.
The pill is only effective in the first 11 weeks of pregnancy; most people find out they’re pregnant between four and seven weeks.
In the search for further reproductive care, some individuals may turn to Options, a pro-life Christian pregnancy center located on West Line Street in Bishop.
Founded by Michele Fitzer in 2024, the nonprofit aims to provide women with “options” beyond abortion. The group purchased a mobile medical unit in 2025, with the goal of bringing their services across the Hwy. 395 corridor. The center’s tax classification as a 501(c)(3) allows Fitzer and her team to hire staff and elect a board who all hold the same values.
Options is affiliated with Carenet and Heartbeat, two pro-life Christian-focused organizations that support and open similar pregnancy centers throughout the country, and receives legal support from the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA).
“Options exists to save children from abortion, as well as offer Christ-centered support during and after pregnancy,” reads the organization’s mission statement on it’s donor website (friendsofsierraoptions.org.) “Our services empower women, men and families to make life-affirming choices through education, mentoring and practical help.”
The center provides free and confidential services to those facing unexpected pregnancies.
These include pregnancy tests, post abortion support, and referrals for women who choose to give their baby up for adoption. For those who wish to keep their child, Options offers pregnancy, prenatal, and parenthood classes via subscription to Brightcourse, an online Christian-based curriculum.
Through the center’s “earn while you learn” program, women are able to earn “baby bucks” each time they finish a course, which is then spent at Options’ “baby boutique” for goods like diapers, cribs, and strollers.
“There’s definitely not enough providers [in the area],” said Fitzer, now the Executive Director and CEO of Options. “Sometimes you just have a question, and you don’t know if you need to go to the ER. I feel like we can fill a gap there.”
For women considering abortion, Options hands out literature on the medical and psychological impacts of the procedure. With the woman’s permission, the center gives them an ultrasound to check for an ectopic pregnancy or, if the woman is already going through a miscarriage, then shows the woman this ultrasound.
Options recently obtained its own $30,000 ultrasound machine through a fundraising effort by the local Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization.
Ultrasounds, though not required by California state law before an abortion, are highly recommended.
“Because of my faith, I’m not going to facilitate an abortion,” Fitzer said. “I try to be very upfront about that. We can’t provide or refer [for an abortion] because that goes against the principles of the organization, but there’s no condemnation or judgement you’re going to feel here.”
Options also advertises abortion pill reversal services, a procedure that works to undo the pill.
Typically, an abortion pill is taken in two parts, mifepristone and misoprostol, and works to block progesterone––a hormone that supports menstruation and maintaining a pregnancy–– subsequently causing uterine contractions to expel the fetus.
According to Options’ website, the abortion pill reversal works to give the body high levels of progesterone to counteract the mifepristone before the misoprostol is taken.
This is not accurate, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which states “there is no evidence that treatment with progesterone after taking mifepristone increases the likelihood of the pregnancy continuing.”
What’s more, this reversal process can cause significant hemorrhaging; one study showed as many as 25% of women who undergo this process require a blood transfusion.
An incident which could send women directly back to Mammoth or Northern Inyo Hospital.
Options is hosting a fundraiser at the Bishop Twin Theater on April 23.
