‘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

‘Rage giving’ prompted by the end of Roe has dropped off, abortion access groups say

The windfall of donations that abortion access groups received following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade one year ago hasn't lasted

By THALIA BEATY and GLENN GAMBOA, Associated Press
June 24, 2023

The “ rage giving ” did not last. Abortion access groups who received a windfall of donations following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade one year ago say those emergency grants have ended and individual and foundation giving has dropped off.

After the Dobbs decision, some major funders of abortion access also have ended or shifted funding from organizations working in states where abortion is now banned, said Naa Amissah-Hammond, senior director of grantmaking with Groundswell Fund, which funds grassroots groups organizing for reproductive justice.

Continued: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rage-giving-prompted-end-roe-dropped-off-abortion-100352292

Texas – These abortion funds and practical support groups are bridging the gap for patients

Without these organizations, low-income and marginalized communities would not be able to access the abortion care they need.

By Rebekah Sager
June 15, 2023

Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, people sought out abortion funds and practical support groups as stopgap measures to receive abortion care. Today, these groups are essential, particularly for low-income and marginalized pregnant people, covering everything from travel expenses to child care and even the procedure itself.

The Brigid Alliance
Five years ago, the Brigid Alliance, a practical support organization that provides assistance to people who are forced to travel outside of their home states for abortion care, opened its doors when clinics in Texas began to close with the passage of S.B. 8.

Continued: https://americanindependent.com/abortion-funds-texas-practical-support-groups/

USA – Abortion Funds Face Slowdown in Giving a Year After Supreme Court Ruling

By Eden Stiffman
JUNE 12, 2023

On the evening of May 2, 2022, a draft opinion of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization leaked, signaling the imminent reversal of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that established the constitutional right to abortion. That same day, the National Network of Abortion Funds had tapped Oriaku Njoku as its new executive director.

As a co-founder of Access Reproductive Care-Southeast, the South’s largest abortion fund, Njoku was clear-eyed about what would come next.

Continued: https://www.philanthropy.com/article/abortion-funds-face-slowdown-in-giving-a-year-after-supreme-court-ruling

12.06.2023

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If Your Partner Has to Travel For an Abortion, You Should Probably Pay for the Plane Ticket

And 13 other rules for men having sex in the post-Roe era.

By Sophia Benoit
May 4, 2023

It has been almost a year since abortion access in the United States was kneecapped by the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. States are now free to outlaw the procedure, and 14 states have done so so far. Living and having sex under these conditions is fraught for everyone, but especially for people who can get pregnant. So if you’re someone, on the other hand, who can get someone pregnant—and we’re mostly talking to cis men here—this is a guide for what you need to do to not be a dick.

Continued: https://www.gq.com/story/post-roe-sex-etiquette

04.05.2023

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Texas abortion funds likely safe from prosecution, federal judge rules

by Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune
February 24, 2023

A federal judge issued a favorable ruling for Texas abortion funds, indicating they likely cannot be criminally charged for helping people travel out of state to terminate their pregnancies.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman temporarily blocked prosecutors in eight counties from pursuing charges against anyone who helps someone get an abortion outside of Texas. But his ruling indicated he believes the laws he has enjoined them from enforcing may not actually be in effect at all.

Continued: https://sanantonioreport.org/texas-abortion-funds-prosecution-paxton/

24.02.2023

EXPLAINER: Undoing of Roe quickly shifts abortion in states

By Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press
Tue., Dec. 20, 2022

Anti-abortion groups hoped and strategized for decades for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that was delivered in June, ending a court-protected right to abortion after nearly 50 years. The fallout was immediate and far-reaching — and it’s not over yet.

The midyear ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established the right to abortion, shaped the national political agenda for the rest of the year and put abortion access in flux. The shifts are expected to keep coming as lawmakers, voters and judges weigh in.

Continued: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2022/12/20/explainer-undoing-of-roe-quickly-shifts-abortion-in-states.html

Demand for Colorado abortion care spikes as out-of-state patients face desperate circumstances

KUNC | By Robyn Vincent
Published August 5, 2022

On a recent Saturday morning in Boulder, thousands of people marched through the streets to protest the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Their voices were angry and hoarse as they chanted “abortion rights are human rights!” and “my body, my choice!” Motorists honked and raised their fists as the protesters clogged the sidewalks.

Moments before, abortion provider Dr. Kelly Peters told the crowd that Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center has been inundated with calls since Roe was overturned.

Continued; https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/open-spaces/2022-08-05/demand-for-colorado-abortion-care-spikes-as-out-of-state-patients-face-desperate-circumstances

Post-Roe, ‘camping’ has become code for abortions. Activists say it may put people at risk.

Some say broadcasting the coded language on social media is a form of political posturing. Others say it's unnecessary self-censorship.

June 30, 2022
By Morgan Sung and Ben Goggin

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, social media has been flooded by posts from people offering to take people "camping" — coded language for assisting people seeking abortions out of state.

But some activists and experts warn that offering to house strangers isn't as helpful as connecting them with local abortion rights organizations.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/camping-meme-roe-v-wade-abortion-ban-rcna35765

30.06.2022

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USA – In Abortion Safe Havens, Organizers Prepare to Assist Those Fleeing Restrictions

by Tyler Walicek, Truthout
June 18, 2022

Last month’s leak of a Supreme Court draft ruling rendered the longstanding fears of abortion rights activists a veritable certainty: Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a federal right to abortion in the United States, is under dire and imminent threat.

While “safe haven” or “sanctuary” states and cities still offer refuge to interstate abortion seekers, access remains a patchwork, presenting financial and logistical hurdles that most deeply impact the marginalized. Under-resourced abortion funds, clinics and activist groups will be in for a struggle merely to hold onto existing gains; their driven organizers and staffers will face staggering challenges amid an influx of abortion refugees.

Continued: https://truthout.org/articles/in-abortion-safe-havens-organizers-prepare-to-assist-those-fleeing-restrictions/