There are as many ways to answer this question as there are women in the world.
We could tell you that over 200,000 women every year need help paying for an abortion.
We could tell you that out of every four women enrolled in Medicaid who seek an abortion, one has to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term because she can’t find money for her abortion.
We could tell you that the Hyde Amendment has interfered with the lives and most profound decisions of over one million women since it was enacted.
But we can’t tell you anything that a woman couldn’t express better herself.
These are the real stories of abortion access.
I love my big family...and I love my children too much to have another baby right now.
My husband and I have five children. We love kids and we love having a big family. But when my husband got laid off from his contractor job, having a big family got really hard.
When I found out I was pregnant again, it was terrifying. We love the idea of another child -- but we love the children we have too much to add that kind of stress to our family right now.
When Leila couldn't afford her abortion, she tried to sell her diaper bag to other women in the clinic.
My son is 11 months old with a serious birth defect. He’s been in and out of intensive care for his whole life and has three or four doctor’s appointments every month. After he was born, I had to drop out of college and I lost my job because of all the appointments. My son’s medical care is covered by Medicaid, but it won’t cover my abortion.
How can I find the money for an abortion when there’s not enough for diapers? And how could I raise two babies when the one I have now needs all that I have to give?
Darcy is 14 and she needs help paying for an abortion that will cost more than the family's rent.
I'm pretty smart for 14, I think. I love biology, especially the stuff on animals. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a vet -- I definitely want to start my own practice so that I make enough money and when I have kids I can be home with them. My mom doesn't get to do that very much. She works way too hard to support me and my sister.
Twenty weeks ago, she was sexually assaulted. She has no money for an abortion and her family is unable to help.
Virginia is 26 years old. Right now, she’s living in a federal prison in Pennsylvania. While in prison, she was sexually assaulted by a member of the prison staff.
It’s pretty common for women living in prison to have irregular periods. Stress, poor nutrition, and unusual sleeping patterns can all affect your menstrual cycle.
Now my husband and I can plan for how to take care of our family.
I'm a married mother of three children ages 6, 3 and 2. My husband and I have struggled with our business since mid-2008 and he recently accepted a part-time employment opportunity with a previous employer so that we can have more financial security. However, we had hoped I would've been able to find employment myself by this time. We had to cancel our health insurance because it was $600 a month and we needed that money to pay our rent and heating bills.
Getting an abortion means getting a second chance
Darcy is 14 and she needs help paying for an abortion that will cost more than the family's rent.
@LeahNTorres Thank you! Our petition to repeal the Hyde Amendment: http://t.co/BshOxCzX @DCAbortionFun
48 min 39 sec ago
I Think I May Be Pregnant & Might Have to Choose an Abortion: http://t.co/PeI9dJsM Good advice, as always, from @Scarleteen
2 hours 16 min ago
RT @reprodocs: We'll be live-tweeting the hearing for #HR3803--Rep. Franks' horrible #DC 20-wk #abortion ban bill--at 4 EST. Stay tuned
2 hours 20 min ago
National Network of Abortion Funds Voted Among Leading Reproductive Justice Orgs