Sometime 400$ might as well be a million.

November 22, 2006 3:43 AM

Is there a charity that directly funds abortions (and the travel expenses involved for women who have to travel a long way to a clinic) for women who can't afford them? And if not, what are some of the legal issues to consider if starting such a charity?
posted by cilantro to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

I know there are some funds that do this, but off of the top of my head, I can't recall what they're named. I think NOW has one, and some Planned Parenthood facilities have a fund to defray the costs involved.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 3:50 AM on November 22, 2006

National Network of Abortion Funds is the first one that springs to mind. The Hershey Abortion Assistance Fund and the Women's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project are two others.
posted by longdaysjourney at 4:35 AM on November 22, 2006

A search for "reproductive rights" at Charity Navigator gives a handful of hits, mostly Planned Parenthood.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:41 AM on November 22, 2006

Plenty of individual, local womens health centers do these kinds of things. If you'd like to act locally (or act, for example, in Arkansas, where there are only two abortion providers in the entire state), you might try contacting local organizations.
posted by box at 6:14 AM on November 22, 2006

Access does this.
posted by cushie at 6:50 AM on November 22, 2006

One issue to be aware of: there are legal restrictions against transporting a minor across state lines. In states with parental notification laws, you could also get in trouble. It would be worth consulting with a lawyer about the specific laws of your region if you decided to go ahead with this.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 7:00 AM on November 22, 2006

The well-regarded Chicago Abortion Fund comes to mind. I bet if you wrote to them, one of their board members would give you some background and guidance.
posted by j-dawg at 8:46 AM on November 22, 2006