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?

I just moved to this state to live with my best friend and her baby. We thought that we could do better if we worked together, took care of each other. 

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.

So by the time Virginia realized that she was pregnant, she was in the second trimester. Which meant that time was of the essence. Which meant she’d need to figure out how to find a clinic and arrange transportation for two separate doctor’s visits. Which meant that the abortion would be very expensive – nearly $3,000.  

Which meant she needed help.

Virginia’s family didn’t have money to help her pay for her abortion…and they didn’t have money to raise another child.