If you can’t get an abortion in your home state, not to worry, because we’ve compiled a list of some of our nation’s most tolerable service stations to stop at while you seek medical care halfway across the country!
1. Conway Rest Station, I-44, Oklahoma
Before you drive hundreds of miles away from home because your state defunded all its Planned Parenthoods, take a break from the road and relax at this only slightly disheartening rest area off route I-44 just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. With its decently lit parking lot and primo view of one of the Great Plains’ most-populous highways, Conway Rest Station is a depressing, but not completely terrible, place to sit while you compose yourself before booking it through the night to make a dreaded early-morning appointment!
2. Los Pueblos Service Station, I-40, Texas
Whether you’re driving across state lines because your governor has banned the abortion pill or it’s the only way you can get an in-office procedure done with a licensed physician, this rest stop on the border of New Mexico and Texas will not necessarily induce a mental breakdown! Any woman on her way to get an abortion will immediately notice this welcome center’s festive, ethnic feel, a fun reminder of all the vacation days she had to take off to drive this far, during which she won’t be paid.
3. Marksville Rest Stop, I-49, Louisiana
Is the only way to get an abortion in your hometown a sketchy, back-alley operation? If so, stop by Marksville rest stop when the daylong drive gets too tiring. This particular rest stop doesn’t have a single toll you have to pay when exiting the highway, which is great for any woman who just took out a huge loan from her coworker to get here. And here’s a great local tip: Make sure to avoid the rest stop two exits down, because it costs $5 just to exit, and a woman was kidnapped there in 2003.
4. Westwood Turnpike, I-90, Ohio
Ohio might not be known for its Planned Parenthoods these days, but this rest stop’s all-inclusive, indoor food court was built just 30 years ago and is totally adequate if you’re on your way out of the state! And as an added bonus, if you’re a parent driving a teen to her abortion across the border, the choice between a McDonald’s, a Hardee’s, and an Auntie Anne’s will be fine enough for her.
5. Greyhound Bus Depot, I-69, Indiana
To any traveler considering taking a bus across state lines to get an abortion because she’s worried she’ll be too fatigued to drive herself all the way back, this relative gem is a can’t-miss. Unlike the poorly lit options around it, this Greyhound depot is only slightly depressing at its worst! The bathrooms are clean enough—you’ll feel decently comfortable taking your preprocedure medications in them—and despite what people say, the old man who sometimes pisses in the parking lot is totally harmless.
6. Howell Rest Area, I-94, Michigan
This is literally just a parking spot on the edge of the freeway, so if the laws in your state are so strict that they even ban abortions when the mother’s life is in danger, take a second and hang out at this rustic concrete slab. Whether you’re passing through or hanging out for a while, build it into your itinerary to kill an hour here dreading whatever pamphlets they might make you read about the benefits of adoption—you’ll be glad you did!
7. Cadenza Service Station, I-15, Utah
Already done with your abortion? Great! If you’re on your way back, the back parking lot is a great place to be both sad and relieved without having to focus on hating your surroundings. Try to take it in as much as you can, because as any good traveler knows, you never really know how much you’ll miss those sketchy figures and flickering lights when you finally get home.
