Why I'm Shooting Pool for Abortion

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday April 23, 2015 · 2:18 PM PDT

2015/04/23 · 14:18

I used to hate asking people for money. Asking people for favors in general has never been my strong suit. And yet today, I can often be found asking anyone and everyone to donate to my local abortion fund.

I serve on the board of the DC Abortion Fund (DCAF), an all-volunteer organization that provides grants to people who cannot afford the full cost of an abortion. While most procedures cost around $400, (and some can cost thousands) for those who call our helpline, $400 is about $395 more than they can afford. Many of our patients are on public assistance, and often on Medicaid. Thanks to legislation dating back to the bell bottomed days of the 1970s, the Hyde Amendment, federal funds are barred from covering abortion care in Medicaid plans. So, for the least among us, the most restrictive laws are passed, and the most access denied.

We have heard from women in domestic violence situations, women who only get $300 a month in assistance, girls who just want to finish school before becoming a parent, and rape victims to name just a few. We hear stories of wanted pregnancies ending with a doctor's utterance of, "incompatible with life."

We also hear from people who just don't want to be pregnant. In all honesty, the reason for the abortion isn't what matters to DCAF. We trust our patients. However they came to call us is their story and theirs alone, and they are all valid. Our job is not to judge, it's to help bridge the gap between what someone knows she needs and actually obtaining it. Because choice without access is meaningless.

Last year we received over 3,100 calls to our helpline, and we pledged grants to almost 1,000 people. The average amount of the grant was just over $200. Since we are an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, our supporters know the money is going directly to the patients. And we have a lot of supporters. It never seems to be enough though, which is why we do things like participate in a nationwide bowl-a-thon each spring. It's a little twisted that anyone should have to fundraise for health care, but here we are.

One in three women will have an abortion at some point in her lifetime. It’s an incredibly common and safe procedure. Assuming you can get it, and the earlier the better. And yet, just this year alone, 332 abortion restrictions have been introduced into state legislatures. A lot of these target either later abortion procedures or the medical abortion, which is only available up to nine weeks. When combined, the window for getting an abortion narrows to such a point that only the privileged and lucky can get through. Layer on an inability to afford the abortion, and you have created a reproductive dystopia littered with unwanted children and illegal abortions. I find that inexcusable. That we would force pregnancy on anyone invalidates the notion that we are a civil society. This is why I support DCAF’s work to make access a reality.

Those voices on the other end of the line deserve better. I can't wipe out the rampant inequality that is fueling so much of the poverty in this country. And I can't single-handedly dismantle the patriarchy and misogyny that has pushed so many women down and devalued our bodies to the point that our reproductive autonomy is up for debate. Nor can I smash the gender binary that renders our trans patients all but invisible. But I can raise some money, and help pay for some abortions. And that's as good a place to start as any. So if you too believe in reproductive choice and access, then feel free to support me and my fellow fundraisers as we bowl, shoot pool, and do whatever it takes to break down the barriers to true reproductive freedom.

Why I Raise Money for Abortions

ColleenEliza

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 25, 2013 · 9:44 AM PDT

2013/03/25 · 09:44

Or Why I love the DC Abortion Fund (DCAF)

I don’t have a personal story to tell. I’ve never experienced an unintended pregnancy, and the women I know who have were all able to afford the procedure on their own. In some ways, this isn’t really my fight. While I am far from rich, I still have the means at my disposal to access my reproductive choices. I have a savings account, credit cards, and friends who would likely help if needed. In this respect, I am very fortunate.

By being to able to afford my own abortion, I will never have to call a helpline and ask for money. I will never to have to pawn items that I love, or delay payment on something else, like the power bill or birthday presents for loved ones. I have never been good at asking for help, and the thought of asking for money, just in the abstract as I write this, is daunting. My family struggled financially when I was growing up, especially when I was young. I will never forget the tension that permeated our home. Not being able to provide for your family is something I would not wish on anyone. It’s nearly impossible to to avoid feeling like a failure when you can’t give your children the things they need, and some extras simply because you love them. Unfortunately, this happens to a lot of families.

If you missed the chart that showed how many hours worked it takes someone making minimum wage to afford a 2 bedroom home, check it out here. In DC, someone would have to work 132 hours a week. A week. In Maryland, it’s 135 hours, and in Virginia it’s 114. Yes, rent is high in my part of the world, but if you look at the chart, there isn’t anywhere in the country where 40 hours at the minimum wage is enough. Just imagine how much harder things could become if you suddenly find out you’re pregnant, don’t want to be, and now need to find another $400 (roughly the cost of a first trimester abortion, when the vast majority occur). It’s also important to remember that, while this country doesn’t have the greatest safety net, there are services and assistance available for women who choose to continue their pregnancies and either parent or choose adoption. This is not the case for women who choose abortion.

For me, abortion funding is about fairness and bridging the gap to access. Generally speaking, if you can afford it, you can get it. You don’t have to explain your situation to anyone, ask friends for money, or go through any of the hoops that the women who call our helpline do. Now, to be sure, our volunteers are well-trained and incredibly compassionate. No one will ever judge you if you call. We don’t spend time on the “why” part of your situation. We trust you. We’re just here to help you pay for it. It’s one of the guiding tenets of – and one of my favorite things about – DCAF. It can be difficult to deal with an unintended pregnancy when you have the means to realize your choice. No one should have to go through additional trials just to make her own choice a reality. That’s why I support DCAF.

To my Facebook friends, Twitter followers and people on my email list, my apologies for the constant posts and messages. But this matters a lot to me. I hope you will consider helping out.

(Friend tip: once you donate, I take you off my email list. Just sayin.’)

Roe v. Millennials? Not So Much.

ColleenEliza

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday February 26, 2013 · 8:02 AM PST

2013/02/26 · 08:02

If you've been following the news around Millennials and Roe v. Wade, like the Time magazine cover story about the alleged rift between the older women and younger women in the pro-choice movement, or the recent study that most women under 30 don’t know what Roe v. Wade was about, you might have the idea that young women don’t care about choice, or even about women’s rights. In fact, I’ve found the opposite to be true. Young women are very active in the fight for equality and women’s rights. They’re just doing it their own way. For this reason alone, I love events like the Young Women of Achievement awards.

Each year, for the last twenty years, the Women’s Information Network (WIN) has hosted the Young Women of Achievement awards (YWA) to recognize young women who are achieving great things in their careers. WIN is a pro-choice, Democratic organization that does just what the Time article suggests isn’t happening. It was formed by women as a way to foster mentorship among older, more accomplished women and the younger women who were eager to start their careers, but facing roadblocks erected by the Boys Club. That was 1989, and WIN is stronger than ever today. We offer professional development training, networking, mentoring and opportunities for discussion and intellectual enrichment. And we recognize that there are lot of young women who are doing more than their fair share to further the rights of all women.

This year’s YWA nominees - there are 48! - worked on political campaigns, have started their own organizations, work on Capitol Hill and in the private sector, and power the nonpofit world. They are doing things like running abortion funds (local groups that raise money to provide grants to women who cannot afford the full cost of an abortion, often all-volunteer), proving that this young generation is indeed familiar with abortion rights. In a number of ways, these women are leading the charge to ensure that more women, from all walks of life, will not only have access to a safe and legal abortion, but will be able to access the birth control they need to plan their pregnancies, receive equal pay for equal work, and not be victims of domestic violence. They are not rejecting the older generation’s feminism so much as they are learning from it and making it their own, and applying it to today’s world.

These women are making strides for pro-choice, Democratic values in a numbers of arenas. All that data integration you heard about that won President Obama re-election? Women were there. They’re organizing for the campaign trail, Capitol Hill and beyond. They’re running organizations to stop street harassment, working in the labor movement and fighting all kinds of policies that afflict women and families. It’s not that young women today don’t care about Roe. It’s that they care about Roe and so much more.

RSS