Dear friends,

It’s been a long road since November.

It seems like just yesterday, we watched the election results roll in and wondered how much of the dangerous campaign rhetoric would turn into reality. Now, months in, we know that the new administration and congressional legislature is even more dangerous than we had imagined. From 20-week abortion bans, spousal consent bills, to attempts at making the Hyde Amendment permanent, and now the Senate has confirmed a Justice who cares more about corporations than our families. The cumulative effect of these measures will render abortion care inaccessible to all but the most privileged people—those who can afford the procedure, cover necessary travel expenses, take time off work, and secure childcare.  Many abortion fund callers will also be impacted by the wave of intersecting policies that criminalize poverty, deny living wages, threaten immigrants, compromise the safety of people of color, and strip away existing social safety protections for our communities.

Against this backdrop, abortion funds forge ahead with a fierce determination to do everything in our power to regroup, resist, and fight on. Immediately following the election, so many of you marched, rallied, and spoke out for reproductive justice. Within weeks, nearly 1,000 of you became part of our inaugural group of individual members, building a powerful base of people who call, support, and volunteer with abortion funds. And now, because of you, the National Abortion Access Bowl-a-Thon, the largest grassroots fundraiser for abortion access, is well on the way to raising $1 million for abortion funds—an all time high!

You’re fired up and so are we! This spring, we’re ready to take that energy and it turn it up a notch.

As we enter the first year of a bold new strategic plan, we stand at the ready to execute a transformative organizing model that continues to combine direct support for those seeking abortion with organizing grassroots power to effectively resist the profound threats before us and build the base we need to win. With your partnership, we are building a movement, mentoring young leaders, and working towards a world in which everyone can shape their own futures and families.

Thank you for joining us in this fight. We could not be more honored to be here with you.

In solidarity,
Yamani Hernandez
Executive Director

Download the newsletter pdf here! Highlights include:

Spring 2017 Update: Abortion funds respond to political moment

We Testify storyteller, Kersha Deibel,  sharing her abortion story

A new report reviewing five years of data from the George Tiller Memorial Abortion Fund

Abortion Funds 101

Experience the power of collective fundraising and take action during Bowl-a-Thon