I used to hate asking people for money. Asking people for favors in general has never been my strong suit. And yet today, I can often be found asking anyone and everyone to
donate to my local abortion fund.
I serve on the board of the DC Abortion Fund (DCAF), an all-volunteer organization that provides grants to people who cannot afford the full cost of an abortion. While most procedures cost around $400, (and some can cost thousands) for those who call our helpline, $400 is about $395 more than they can afford. Many of our patients are on public assistance, and often on Medicaid. Thanks to legislation dating back to the bell bottomed days of the 1970s, the Hyde Amendment, federal funds are barred from covering abortion care in Medicaid plans. So, for the least among us, the most restrictive laws are passed, and the most access denied.
We have heard from women in domestic violence situations, women who only get $300 a month in assistance, girls who just want to finish school before becoming a parent, and rape victims to name just a few. We hear stories of wanted pregnancies ending with a doctor's utterance of, "incompatible with life."
We also hear from people who just don't want to be pregnant. In all honesty, the reason for the abortion isn't what matters to DCAF. We trust our patients. However they came to call us is their story and theirs alone, and they are all valid. Our job is not to judge, it's to help bridge the gap between what someone knows she needs and actually obtaining it. Because choice without access is meaningless.
Last year we received over 3,100 calls to our helpline, and we pledged grants to almost 1,000 people. The average amount of the grant was just over $200. Since we are an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, our supporters know the money is going directly to the patients. And we have a lot of supporters. It never seems to be enough though, which is why we do things like participate in a nationwide bowl-a-thon each spring. It's a little twisted that anyone should have to fundraise for health care, but here we are.
One in three women will have an abortion at some point in her lifetime. It’s an incredibly common and safe procedure. Assuming you can get it, and the earlier the better. And yet, just this year alone, 332 abortion restrictions have been introduced into state legislatures. A lot of these target either later abortion procedures or the medical abortion, which is only available up to nine weeks. When combined, the window for getting an abortion narrows to such a point that only the privileged and lucky can get through. Layer on an inability to afford the abortion, and you have created a reproductive dystopia littered with unwanted children and illegal abortions. I find that inexcusable. That we would force pregnancy on anyone invalidates the notion that we are a civil society. This is why I support DCAF’s work to make access a reality.
Those voices on the other end of the line deserve better. I can't wipe out the rampant inequality that is fueling so much of the poverty in this country. And I can't single-handedly dismantle the patriarchy and misogyny that has pushed so many women down and devalued our bodies to the point that our reproductive autonomy is up for debate. Nor can I smash the gender binary that renders our trans patients all but invisible. But I can raise some money, and help pay for some abortions. And that's as good a place to start as any. So if you too believe in reproductive choice and access, then feel free to support me and my fellow fundraisers as we bowl, shoot pool, and do whatever it takes to break down the barriers to true reproductive freedom.