Abortion Funding:
A Matter of Justice
The right to have an abortion is an empty promise for many women because they cannot afford to have an abortion. When abortion became legal in 1973, poor women who qualified for Medicaid were covered for abortion just as they were for other medical care. But three years later Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, banning federal Medicaid funding for abortion. No other medical procedure was singled out for exclusion. Today, 33 states, including Ohio, prohibit state Medicaid funding as well.
Medicaid funding bans and other anti-abortion laws, such as Ohio’s mandatory waiting period, burden some of the most disadvantaged women in our society—those who rely on the government for health-care. Given racial inequalities, women of color disproportionately rely on such coverage, making abortion funding a matter of racial and economic justice as well as women’s rights.
Helping Poor Women Access Abortion Care
Preterm was founded on the premise that all women deserve access to high quality, compassionate abortion care, regardless of their ability to pay. We carry out this premise in three ways:
Affordable Fees: We keep our fees low. In 1974, when Preterm opened its doors, we charged $160 for a first trimester abortion. Today this fee has increased to only $360.
Subsidies: More than a third of Preterm’s patients are on government assistance. Many work in low-paying jobs with little or no medical benefits. More than 90% of our patients have no insurance coverage to help pay for their services. To keep abortion accessible to low-income women, we subsidize a portion of their fees, depending on their income.
Additional Need-Based Grants: For women in crisis, for example a homeless woman or a victim of rape or abuse, we have a special Access Fund. We use this Fund to provide discretionary grants based on need. In extreme cases we’ll fund 100% of a patient’s services.
Funding Abortion Care for Poor Women
Our funding needs have grown tremendously in response to rising costs and women’s deepening poverty. Last year we provided about $750,000 in subsidized care. We fund these subsidies in two ways:
Through Preterm’s Endowment: In 1996 we began to build an endowment to help fund abortions for poor women. The endowment has been hit by the economic downturn, like everything else, but it covers nearly $100,000 annually in subsidized care.
Through National Funding Sources: We rely on the National Abortion Federation, the National Network of Abortion Funds, and other national organizations to contribute to subsidized fees.
Through Grants and Donations: We appeal to foundations and individuals to help fund the balance of our subsidies.
Every woman, regardless of her economic resources, should have the right to decide whether and when to have a child. She should have the right to shape her own life and plan her future. Preterm plays a critical role by helping low-income women have the same reproductive rights as women with greater resources. We hope that you’ll help, too.
