Abortion Is in Trouble.
Here’s How to Help.
Well before November 2024, we began to see major setbacks to the basic right to bodily autonomy—the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Texas’s terrifying SB8 (whose implications reach far beyond the state’s borders), and Idaho’s ‘abortion trafficking’ bill, to name a few.
One of the results of all this legislation is a sense that those who care about this issue—all of us—feel powerless, which is, of course, the point. People who feel scared, overwhelmed, and cornered are less likely to respond and advocate. This allows the status quo to continue, and that’s what the anti-choice movement—at its zenith of power right now—is counting on. But if you’re not a lawyer, or a provider, or full-time abortion justice activist, what can you do to help folks who need access to safe abortions?
Beyond the obvious, actually obtaining the procedure and knowing the laws in your particular state, there are the other essentials involved in abortion care: transportation, especially if you live in a state where abortion clinics are few and far between; childcare, since we know abortion seekers are typically parents; lodging, which can be necessary in states where there’s a waiting period to obtain an abortion, and other expenses that arise, like heating pads, pain medication, and food.
Keep in mind the fact that for every week one remains preg- nant, the cost of abortion goes up, and the opportunity to get one narrows—it’s essential to move as quickly as possible. The more obstacles like this, the more likely patients go into “abortion debt.”
Abortion funds, such as new Jewish fund the Red Tent Fund, are nonprofit organizations that offer this financial and logisti- cal help to those seeking abortion care. They rely on donations in order to provide assistance to those who need it. They are struggling right now. But depending on the fund you support, your donation may provide rides to an appointment, to a phar- macy for supplies, or even pay for an entire procedure.
A fund’s ability to bridge the gap between what a person can afford to pay and the cost of an abortion can mean being able to leave a violent relationship, pursue education, care for existing children—in other words, live life. Any amount you can give to a fund matters. A great thing to do if you want to make a small amount go further is set up recurring donations, which help funds to plan ahead and continue to respond to those in need of abortion care expenses, as opposed to needing to pause funding when their accounts dwindle.
Clinic volunteer groups also need donations to support their work—which often involves literally helping people enter clinics. You may have seen images of anti-choice protestors clogging the parking lots, entrances, and exits at clinics, intent on using shame, stigma, false information, and even violence to stop people from
going inside the clinic for abortions and other forms of health care (they also intimidate clinic staff and patient companions).
In North Carolina, Charlotte for Choice provides educa- tional information to the public, as well as local government, about abortion access, as well as direct services like clinic escorting and defense. The Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force also trains local volunteers to become clinic escorts, teaching methods aimed at the de-escalation of treacherous and frequently occurring situations.
The Clinic Vest Project provides free vests to abortion clinic escorts, volunteers who help patients make their way safely into the clinic amid the protestors. It’s crucial for patients to be able identify escorts quickly and easily, since the scene outside a
What can happen if there’s no escort through the crowd of aggressive antis.
clinic can be chaotic and intimidating, and without vests, escorts may be mistaken for protestors or other patients, and one might decide to forgo their appointment if there’s no one to help them through the crowd of aggressive antis.
Finally, there’s another nefarious layer to the plans of anti- choicers: to create confusion and fear around abortion by spreading false information (“abortion is dangerous,” “abortion causes infertility/breast cancer/mental illness”) and blocking information people need. The Online Abortion Resource Squad (OARS) operates via a peer-counseling method on the abor- tion subreddit so that those with questions about abortion can get information that’s scientifically accurate and personalized. What’s the difference between self-managed abortion and in- clinic abortion, and which method might be right for you? Is the clinic you’re about to contact for abortion care an actual health care facility or a crisis pregnancy center? If you’re under 18, what are your options for abortion?
In the roiling sea of the internet, OARS is an invaluable resource, volunteer-run, and in need of financial support.
If you aren’t in a position to give money to the resources outlined in this piece, don’t let that stop you: people need infor- mation about abortion access more than ever. Use your social media or even good old fashioned word of mouth to tell your communities about them.
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed by the work that needs to be done. But also, we still need to do it, so let righteous indignation guide you forward.
Chanel Dubofsky is a writer in Brooklyn.
