April 4th, 2013

Gaining ground in the conversation on reproductive health

North Dakota. Mississippi. Arkansas. Virginia. Texas. Sometimes it can seem like we're fighting a losing battle. But in fact, in many places we're gaining ground!

At RH Reality Check, Susan Schewel with the Women's Medical Fund and Megan Smith, founder of the Repeal Hyde Art Project, talk about recent successes in Philadelphia, Cambridge, New York City, and Austin and remind us that:

Choice is meaningless without access, and we can be the ones to push for change. If we want all people to have access to care across the United States, we must create newsworthy initiatives calling for an expansion rather than a retraction of coverage, and we must call upon our elected representatives to do the same.

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Categories: abortion restrictions, health care reform, Hyde Amendment, unfair laws, Women's Medical Fund (Pennsylvania)

February 19th, 2013

Abortion fund activists push for local and national funding reforms

Local abortion funds help women and girls pay for abortions they would otherwise not be able to afford--and they also work for fair laws that respect the lives and futures of all women. In just the past month, two abortion funds have fought for policy changes--and won! City and state efforts to restore Medicaid funding are taking root across the country, and abortion fund activists are instrumental in this push.

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Categories: economic justice, health care reform, New York Abortion Access Fund, unfair laws, Women's Medical Fund (Pennsylvania)

January 1st, 2013

2012 highlights

As we head into a bright new year, we look back at some of our favorite moments of 2012:

1. In January, we commemorated 39 years of legal abortion by participating in the online March for Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice. Over 134,000 people put themselves on the map, telling elected officials that a two-tier system of health care is unacceptable and sending the message to "Keep Abortion Safe and Legal -- and Make it Affordable and Accessible!"
2. We welcomed three new abortion funds to the Network! In Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina, there now more options for low-income women. And the New Jersey Abortion Access Fund started funding for the first time in 2012!
3. We broke all records in our 3rd Annual National Bowl-a-Thon for Abortion Access--and we're looking forward to another record-busting year in 2013!
4. In Minnesota, Oregon, and West Virginia, we protected access to abortion for over 275,000 low-income women, fighting attacks on state Medicaid coverage.
5. Minnesota's Pro-Choice Resources opens their "gap fund," the first abortion fund in the nation to specifically help women who qualify for state Medicaid funding get their abortions without delay, instead of waiting weeks for the state to process their paperwork.

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Categories: Abortion Access Network of Arizona, Abortion Support Network, Bowl-a-Thon , economic justice, Funds, health care reform, Hyde Amendment, International Funds, TakeAction

November 7th, 2012

Women won in 2012. Let's aim high.

Across the country voters spoke loud and clear this week: President Obama ran on a platform strongly supporting the right to abortion regardless of the ability to pay, and he won resoundingly.

Women won. By enormous margins, women delivered that victory.

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Categories: abortion restrictions, economic justice, Funds, health care reform, Hyde Amendment, immigrants' rights, TakeAction

September 30th, 2012

36 years of the Hyde Amendment: a call to action

On September 30, 1976, the House of Representatives passed the Hyde Amendment, banning federal Medicaid funding of abortion. And every year since, the Hyde Amendment has been included in the federal budget. For 36 years, this ban has burdened the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. For 36 years, the Hyde Amendment has singled out abortion coverage, targeting low-income women, young women, women serving in the military, Native American women, rural women, and women of color.

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Categories: abortion restrictions, economic justice, health care reform, Hyde Amendment, Medicaid, TakeAction, unfair laws

August 30th, 2012

"Many, many people do not have $650 in their bank account..."

Danielle Boudrow volunteers with the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund and was one of six women voters selected by the New York Times to participate in a live video chat this week to discuss how the 2012 election affects women's lives. She was the youngest participant and the only one with experience working directly with women who are hurt by discriminatory abortion funding bans.

Here's what she had to say:

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Categories: Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund, economic justice, Funds, health care reform

January 13th, 2012

Trust Women Week

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Categories: economic justice, health care reform, Hyde Amendment, TakeAction

October 12th, 2011

URGENT: House to vote on bill to ban abortion in insurance plans! CALL TODAY!

UPDATE: H.R. 358 passed on a 251-172 vote on Thursday, October 13, 2011. Thank you so much for all your phone calls and support. We will keep you updated on how to ensure that this bill does not pass the Senate!

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Categories: abortion restrictions, economic justice, health care reform, TakeAction

September 13th, 2011

TAKE ACTION: Senate Committee meeting THIS WEEK!

This April, the House of Representatives balanced the budget on the backs of low-income women in a last-minute backroom deal that abruptly stripped the District of Columbia's ability to use local funds to pay for abortions for poor women. This outrageous new abortion ban overruled the authority of DC's own elected officials, denying Medicaid-eligible women vital reproductive health care and gambling with their lives.

Now the Senate Appropriations Committee is preparing to extend this dangerous ban in the 2012 appropriations bill.

Don't let it happen again!

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Categories: abortion restrictions, economic justice, Funds, health care reform, TakeAction, unfair laws

September 12th, 2011

Put a bird on it!

On Saturday, September 24th, the Repeal Hyde Art Project will be displayed at the 2011 Choice USA Membership conference in Washington, D.C.

Send in your entry by September 22 to be part of this grassroots community art project!

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Categories: economic justice, health care reform, Hyde Amendment, Medicaid, TakeAction, unfair laws