Abortion fund
An abortion fund is a
Function
Abortion funds determine the amount of financial assistance based on individual need.
Most abortion funds are funded primarily by local donors and grant-making institutions.[1] However, in 2019, the New York City Council allocated $250,000 to a local abortion fund for patients traveling from other states to New York for an abortion.[4] Planned Parenthood clinics also have their own internal funding mechanism called the justice fund.[5] Additionally, many independent abortion clinics in the U.S. offer discounts for students, military personnel, and patients who are Medicaid recipients.[6]
Abortion funds operate in a number of countries. The
Legislation
State, federal or global legislation may also impact abortion accessibility as well as financial assistance for abortion. In the United States, federal funding for abortion through Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income residents, is banned except for cases of incest, rape, and life endangerment due to the Hyde Amendment. In addition, as of 2019, 33 states and the District of Columbia prohibit the use of state Medicaid funds for abortion, and 11 states restrict private health insurance for abortion.[10]
Furthermore, U.S. legislation known as the Mexico City Policy, the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy, or the global gag rule, prohibits U.S. foreign assistance to organizations unless they promise not to perform or actively promote abortion as a form of family planning.[11] This applies to public health organizations which may provide funding assistance for or information about abortion. The Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) was established in 2006 by International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) to fund local organizations that have been impacted by the Global Gag Rule, including those that fund abortion.[12]
Abortion costs in the United States
Cost is a common barrier to obtaining an abortion in the United States. The cost of an abortion varies by facility, type of abortion, and
U.S. abortion patients are poor or low-income,[16] and most do not carry insurance coverage that pays for abortion. Private health insurance does not always cover abortion, and public health insurance covers abortions only within certain circumstances. As a result, the majority of abortion patients incur high out-of-pocket costs when receiving abortion services.[14][16] The out-of-pocket costs of abortion contribute to delays in seeking care,[14] which can further increase costs for the procedure and for travel to clinics that offer abortion at later gestation.[13][14]
Legality
Lawmakers in anti-abortion states have been targeting and threatening abortion funds and their donors with criminal prosecution under their state's abortion statutes. On March 18, 2022, State Representative Briscoe Cain sent cease-and-desist letters to every abortion fund in Texas, declaring them "criminal organizations" and demanding that they immediately halt payments for elective abortions performed in Texas.[17] Cain warned abortion funds that they were violating Texas's unrepealed pre-Roe abortion statutes by aiding or abetting elective abortions, and exposing each of their employees, volunteers, and donors to felony criminal prosecution.[17] Cain said that Roe v. Wade did not create or recognize a constitutional right to pay for another person's abortion, and that Roe protects only abortion providers and their patients from prosecution under the state's pre-Roe criminal abortion statutes. In response, abortion funds demanded that Cain retract his claims and threatened to sue him for defamation.[18]
See also
- Abortion
- Abortion in Mexico
- Abortion in the United Kingdom
- Abortion in the United States
- Hyde Amendment
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Common Questions About Abortion Funds". National Network of Abortion Funds. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Towey S, Poggy S, and Roth R (2005). Abortion funding: A matter of justicity. Amherst, MA: National Network of Abortion Funds.
- ^ S2CID 3535883.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ "Justice Fund". plannedparenthood.org. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "Can I get a discount at my clinic?". National Network of Abortion Funds. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ a b prochoice. "NAF Hotline Fund". National Abortion Federation. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "Women's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP)". National Network of Abortion Funds. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "hotlines and regional resources for family planning, abortion, and activism". Women Help Women Consultation. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "An Overview of Abortion Laws". Guttmacher Institute. July 1, 2019.
- ^ Aizenman, Nurith (June 13, 2018). "Trump's Ban On Funding For Overseas Abortions Has Some Little-Known Exceptions". NPR.org. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "Support with abortion". Safe Abortion Action Fund. Retrieved August 18, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ PMID 29339010.
- ^ PMID 24630423.
- PMID 23660430.
- ^ a b Jerman, Jenna; Jones, Rachel K.; Onda, Tsuyoshi (May 10, 2016). "Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients in 2014 and Changes Since 2008". Guttmacher Institute.
- ^ a b Cain, Briscoe (March 18, 2022). "State Representative Briscoe Cain Sends Cease-And-Desist Letters to Abortion Funds in Texas". twitter.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ Klibanoff, Eleanor (March 29, 2022). "Abortion nonprofits say Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain defamed them in "cease-and-desist" letter". texastribune.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
External links
- National Network of Abortion Funds - A US-based network of ~70 member abortion funds in about 40 states and the District of Columbia. The Network also runs advocacy campaigns to work toward repeal of abortion coverage restrictions, such as the Hyde Amendment.
National Abortion Federation - A US-based organization providing information, referrals, and assistance with coordinating funding, sometimes from multiple sources.
- Abortion Support Network - A UK-based organization that provides advice, financial assistance, and housing for residents of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Malta and Gibraltar who need to travel for an abortion.
- MARIA Abortion Fund for Social Justice - A Mexico-based organization that provides financial, logistical and emotional support to access legal abortion services in Mexico City.
- Women Help Women - an organization providing medical abortion, contraception, emergency contraception, and information and local referrals globally