USA – ‘Perfect storm’ of crises is leading to cutbacks in abortion care, advocates say

By: Kelcie Moseley-Morris and Sofia Resnick
August 14, 2024

Advocates for abortion access say compounding crises of abortion bans, rising economic costs and systemic health care issues are beginning to cause significant funding challenges and potential disruptions to reproductive care of all kinds.

Several people described it as a “perfect storm” of problems with the U.S. health care system, particularly post-pandemic, and the rise of abortion bans and other reproductive care restrictions in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022. Many individuals must now travel hundreds or thousands of miles to seek abortion care, and the consolidation of demand at a smaller number of clinics is increasing wait times, which means pregnancies progress to a more advanced stage and the costs balloon further.

Continued: https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/08/14/perfect-storm-of-crises-is-leading-to-cutbacks-in-abortion-care-advocates-say/

14.08.2024

Commentary

Abortion Care Network

Abortion Fund of Ohio

abortion funds

barriers to abortion

Brittany Fonteno

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

Erin Grant

Florida Access Network

Keep Our Clinics

Lexis Dotson-Dufault

Lisa Humes-Schulz

National Abortion Federation

National Network of Abortion Funds

Nicole Clegg

Oriaku Njoku

patient assistance funds

Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Planned Parenthood Great Northwest

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

Project 2025

Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro

USA – A New Normal for Abortion Funds Without ‘Roe’

Despite a constantly shifting legal landscape and donations tapering off, abortion funds are helping as many people as they can with limited resources.

JUL 22, 2024
SUSAN BUTTENWIESER

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, people have been reaching out to abortion funds for help in historic numbers. In the first year after the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the National Network of Abortion Funds, a nationwide network of 100 abortion funds, financially supported more than 100,000 people seeking abortion care. NNAF disbursed over $36 million to people seeking abortions, and an additional $10 million in practical support funding, which includes transportation, lodging, and child care.

The decision also resulted in abortion funds receiving unprecedented amounts in donations. An influx of donations to Indigenous Women Rising, an abortion fund dedicated to Native and Indigenous people in the United States and Canada, allowed the organization to double its staff and expand employee benefits.

Continued: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2024/07/22/a-new-normal-for-abortion-funds-without-roe/

Abortion funds run short of money as demand soars and donations fall

Olivia Goldhill
Jan. 23, 2024

The head of the Abortion Fund of Ohio had a sinking feeling as she looked at its end-of-year finances last month. The fund had paid out $1.5 million in 2023 to help close to 4,400 patients get abortions — up from 1,175 the year before — and the pace wasn’t sustainable. If the fund didn’t take a pause for a few weeks, she feared it would run out of money and have to close for good.

The nonprofit stopped taking calls on Dec. 19, and made the “very very difficult decision” to suspend operations until Feb. 1, said Taren Holliman, the organization’s program manager. It’s among a handful of abortion funds that have had to temporarily halt operations as demand outstripped donations. Both the Utah Abortion Fund and Indigenous Women Rising paused for a month last summer after exceeding their budgets, and many more are reevaluating their funding policies and tightening purses.

Continued: https://www.statnews.com/2024/01/23/abortion-fund-warning-demand-up-donations-down/

The Black Women Who Fought for Ohio’s Historic Abortion Win

Voters recently approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to abortion—thanks, in part, to the Ohio Women’s Alliance.

BY LARADA LEE-WALLACE
NOV 21, 2023

This year, on November 7, Ohio voters made history. In a statewide vote, constituents approved a constitutional amendment that will guarantee access to abortion and other reproductive health care, making it the seventh state in the nation where voters have protected abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, per the Associated Press. The victory came just a few months after a special election in which Ohio voters also rejected a Republican-backed measure that would’ve made changing the state’s constitution even more difficult—a move many believed was a deliberate attempt to derail the proposed amendment.

Continued: https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a45876130/ohio-abortion-rights-amendment-2023/

21.11.2023

Commentary

Abortion Fund of Ohio

Jordyn Close

Lexis Dotson-Dufault

Ohio ballot initiative

Ohio Women’s Alliance

Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights

USA – Abortion Wins Elections for Democrats. What Should Advocates Demand in Return?

How can this popularity translate into political power for a movement that is not accustomed to making bold demands of its political leaders?

AMY LITTLEFIELD
Nov 20, 2023

If abortion were a 2024 presidential candidate, it would wipe the floor with Donald Trump. On November 7, abortion helped Democrats take back the Virginia House, keep the Kentucky governorship, and secure a Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat. In Ohio, 57 percent of voters approved enshrining abortion access in the state Constitution; it was the seventh time abortion has faced a direct vote since Dobbs and the seventh time it’s won.

Abortion wins. Abortion rights activists have known this. Voters have often chosen to defend abortion when they get a direct vote, including in red states. What’s changed is that Democrats have finally started treating abortion like an issue they can win on—and in the wake of Dobbs, they’re doing just that.

Continued: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/abortion-democrats-elections/

Abortion rights are on a winning streak at the ballot box. Ohio could test that.

Abortion rights have won on the ballot in red states before, but here's how Ohio's Issue 1 measure is different.

Grace Panetta
October 10, 2023

COLUMBUS, Ohio — On a cloudy recent Friday morning, thousands of protestors descended on the Ohio statehouse for the March for Life, many holding signs with sayings like, “Ohio is Pro-Life” and “Vote No on Issue 1.” That measure, Issue 1, would guarantee a constitutional right to an abortion and other reproductive health care.

All eyes were on Ohio, said Jeanne Mancini, president of the national anti-abortion March for Life. They were at a “cultural crossroads, she said, and Ohioians would be judged on their vote on November 7.

Continued: https://19thnews.org/2023/10/ohio-issue-1-abortion-ballot-measure-november/

‘Feels horrible to say no’: abortion funds run out of money as US demand surges

A lifeline for many in states with abortion restrictions, abortion funds are being pushed to the brink due to rising costs and a drop in donations

Carter Sherman
Fri 22 Sep 2023

Laurie Bertram Roberts never expected Americans to keep forking over money to pay for other people’s abortions. But the abortion fund director didn’t think it would get this dire.

When the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year, people donated tens of thousands of dollars to Roberts’ organization, the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund, which is dedicated to helping people afford abortions and the many costs that come with it. But, in August, Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund had to stop funding abortions. It’s now closed until January 2024.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/22/us-abortion-funds-run-out-of-money-demand-surges

USA – Why I Became an Abortion Doula During the Pandemic

After being isolated and lonely when I became pregnant in March 2020, I now help others so they feel less alone.

FEB 15, 2023
LARADA LEE-WALLACE

In March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I realized I might be pregnant. My uterus felt heavy. My period was only two days late, but something felt off. I was alone and didn’t have a ride, so I called an Uber to the nearest grocery store to buy a pregnancy test. When I got home, I hurried to the bathroom and took the test. It was positive.

All of that was already a costly decision. I had set aside money for my bills and groceries that month, and as a full-time student and Medicaid recipient, I didn’t have the financial resources to pay for an abortion. In fact, the cost of a first-trimester abortion in the state of Ohio, where I live, was more than one month’s rent for my apartment. Luckily, I received financial assistance from the Abortion Fund of Ohio.

Continued: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2023/02/15/why-i-became-an-abortion-doula-during-the-pandemic/

15.02.2023