The role of independent funds to help people access abortion is growing

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/25/ [login to see] /the-role-of-independent-funds-to-help-people-access-abortion-is-growing
Kim Floren has spent the last several weeks trying to comfort people panicking about the end of Roe v. Wade.

"Everybody has been on the spectrum from just being in tears to total panic about what they're going to do," said Floren, who runs South Dakota's Justice Through Empowerment Network, one of more than 100 independent abortion funds around the country.

Abortion funds raise and distribute money to people who need help paying for abortions, including procedure and travel costs. In 2020, funds across the country helped nearly 45,000 people pay for abortions.

Most funds serve specific states or regions, while others focus on particular populations like Indigenous women. Some, like Floren's, are run entirely by volunteers. Others are part of clinics or larger organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Some abortion funds have been around for decades, but their importance to abortion access is growing in a post-Roe world, especially in states like South Dakota that now ban abortion.