Local abortion funds are seeing higher demand post-Roe v. Wade
Local abortion funds are seeing higher demand post-Roe v. Wade
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June, more people are turning to local abortion funds to help pay for care and travel.
Donations to the Wild West Access Fund of Nevada have surged. Board member Lauren Beal says its weekly budget is up from $1,200 to $2,000. “That’s huge for us,” said Beal.
But there’s also been a fivefold increase in requests for help on top of higher costs for gas and airfare, meaning “that [raise] wouldn’t even come close to scratching the full financial need of every person that calls us,” she said.
It’s not just cash these organizations are short on, said Gretchen Ely at the University of Tennessee.
“They also have to have the human resource capacity” to answer requests, manage patient travel and fundraise, he said. “Or will they even be able to stay open at all because they might be fearing legal jeopardy?”
These are big questions for organizations that are often run by volunteers like the Wild West fund in Nevada. Beal said it’s budgeting to hire its first full-time staffer as nearby states like Arizona and Utah move to restrict abortion.
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