Donations to abortion funds are added after leaking a draft Supreme Court opinion which is about to overthrow the historic decision Roe v. Wade who protects a woman’s right to abortion.
Nonprofits that offer financial and emotional support to pregnant women seeking abortion say they are grateful for the rapid influx of new funds, but that their work and costs will grow at an even faster rate.
The National Abortion Fund Network, which helps more than 80 local organizations remove financial and logistical barriers to accessing abortion, told CBS MoneyWatch that donations “skyrocketed” Monday evening from last week after the draft majority opinion was leaked.
“On Monday night, after the draft was leaked, within minutes we had tens of thousands of people coming into our website and it really crashed,” said NNAF Director Lindsay Rodriguez.
As of Thursday, more than 8,500 people had contributed $ 800,000 to the fund. An additional 12,000 followers contributed more than $ 1.1 million to the local funds of NNAF members through its website.
How would the annulment of Roe v. Affect public health?
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“It’s a plan of success in an incredibly abysmal situation. It’s impressive and fantastic to see this level of support. Of course, we also know that the needs of abortion funds will multiply much more exponentially,” Rodriguez added.
Another organization, Access Reproductive Justice, which funds abortions in California, raised more than $ 40,000 in just three days after the leak, compared to its usual average of $ 1,000, according to Executive Director Jessica Pinckney.
“Big” lack of resources
According to the NNAF, most abortion funds can only accommodate between one-fourth and one-third of people requesting assistance to pay for an abortion procedure and the associated costs, including travel, child care, food and accommodation. “The gap is huge,” Rodriguez said.
Melissa Fowler, program director for the National Abortion Federation, a professional association of abortion providers and clinics, noted a similar lack of resources.
“While NAF, like many other organizations, has seen a recent increase in donations, the need continues to drastically exceed available resources,” it said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “As more states are encouraged to decimate access to abortion with Roe hanging by a thread, the need to support clinics and help patients travel for care will only increase.”
“Just one drop in the bucket”
Revoking Roe’s decision would allow states to determine their own restrictions or protections on abortion.
Some Republican-led states are already restricting access to abortion, making it illegal at certain times during pregnancy. Laws in Texas and Oklahoma bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancywhich means women looking to end their pregnancy after six weeks have to travel beyond state lines to get the procedure.
According to an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, 23 states have so-called “detonating” laws in the books this could restrict abortion rights if the Supreme Court overturns Roe in the coming months.
In the event that these laws come into force, the need for more patients to travel greater distances to access care will consume the budgets of the funds.
Texas Choice Fund, which covers the travel costs of jeans to out-of-state abortion clinics, said it already receives more than 300 calls a month and only has the resources to support up to 130 clients, which on average they require between $ 750 and $ 1,000. procedure assistance. The fund does not pay for the abortion itself, but covers the cost of the round trip to an appointment, in addition to accommodation, food and other expenses.
“We expect this to get worse. Our customers will have to travel further, and gas and flights will be more expensive,” said Anna Rupani, executive director of Fund Texas Choice.
He said donations to the fund have increased, but that “it’s just a drop in the bucket considering what it takes to get the job done.”
For example, the fund already pays more than $ 62,000 a month in practical support costs related to sending clients out of state for abortions. That doesn’t even include spending on employees’ salaries.
High gas prices they don’t help either. “With rising fuel costs and rising inflation, we used to spend $ 500 round trip to send customers to Albuquerque, but our average flight has increased by $ 250, up to $ 750 per flight,” he added.
“Catastrophically unsustainable”
Funding Texas’ Biggest Need? More paid staff, who can coordinate travel and manage patient logistics.
“I need 10 travel planners. This is where we need to increase, but we don’t have the capital to do that,” Rupani said.
“That’s where there will be a great need if Roe falls as we think he will. It means more people will have to travel more and it will take longer to get to their appointments because many other states are not. abortion, “he said. “It will be catastrophically unsustainable.”
Holler Health Justice, a West Virginia-based nonprofit reproductive justice organization, also faces staffing problems.
“We’ve received a lot of support,” said co-director Peshka Calloway. “But our biggest concern is that we need people who can consistently present themselves and continue to pour love into our cup.”
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