Volunteer Pilots Help People Access Abortion Outside Of The State

A group of volunteer pilots aren’t going around state laws, they’re going over them. 

Thursday, October 6th 2022, 7:05 pm



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A group of volunteer pilots aren’t going around state laws, they’re going over them. 

The group called Elevated Access is providing free flights for Oklahomans who need access to abortion. Their first flight was back in June. 

"We're a 6-month-old non-profit. It's just a handful of us trying to coordinate all these flights," said Elevated Access' Director of Kindness.  

The pilots are going above and beyond to make sure people have access to medical care that is banned in their home states. For Oklahomans, that means abortions and gender affirming care for minors. 

"There's a big swath from Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, I could go on," the Director of Kindness said. 

The pilots for Elevated Access are all volunteers. They are footing the bill for all the flights. 

"They actually pay for everything. They donate their time, their aircraft, the aviation fuel," the director said. "This is what they do in their spare time, and you probably don't even know that about them." 

The Director of the operation chose to remain anonymous because of laws surrounding aiding and abetting. The Attorney General’s office did not respond to News 9’s request for a comment. 

"It's actually a constitutional right it comes under the interstate commerce clause. Interstate travel is protected people can go state in this country for any reason," said Director of Kindness. 

The pilots don't just touch down and take off from major airports like Will Rogers World Airport. 

"We have small planes and there are 3000 airports around the country where these planes can come in and out of," the Director of Kindness said. "90% of the population lives within a 30-minute drive of one of these little airports." 

Those same pilots don't know and won't ask why passengers take to the skies. 

"They really can't be held responsible for something unless you want to hold every pilot from American Airlines, Delta and Southwest Airlines responsible for transporting people from state to state." 

Elevated Access is in need of volunteer pilots in Oklahoma, for information, follow this link. 


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