How You Can Support Abortion Funds Right Now
By Our Justice
Now more than ever, we must ensure every Minnesotan can safely get the essential health care they need, including and especially pregnancy and abortion care. Many of the people seeking abortions are the very people that we’ve deemed essential to holding things together: fast food workers, grocery store clerks, delivery food drivers, and other frontline workers.
Access to safe and affordable abortion is an essential part of pregnancy care, and we know the need for abortion care doesn’t stop in times of hardship or crisis. In fact we know that in times like these, barriers to abortion will only increase. Within the last few weeks requests for abortion funding have TRIPLED. We can only anticipate that this will be the trajectory for the rest of the year.
With the increased economic pressure folks are experiencing from job loss, along with providers working to keep themselves and their patients safe, we’re expecting an even greater need to fundraise. That’s why we are committed to supporting as many people as possible through our abortion assistance fund and lodging programs, as well as the broader work to remove Minnesota’s restrictive abortion laws.
For the first time in 27 years, Our Justice will not be holding an in-person Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser this year. While we continue to do all we can to stay safe in our communities, we are shifting how we raise funds to meet the complex and emerging needs created by the current global health crisis.
The Bowl-a-Thon will be revamped as a virtual Fund-a-Thon, continuing through June 25th.
How you can help: You can help ensure Minnesotans get the health care they need by signing up and donating today to participate in the virtual Fund-a-Thon.
How the Fund-a-Thon works: Once you sign up, Our Justice will provide each team with resources to set up a virtual party to celebrate you hitting your fundraising goal. Virtual events could be a Netflix watch party, Instagram dance party, or Zoom Brunch with trivia!
Looking for guidance on what to donate? Here are some facts to get you started:
$14: The number of unconstitutional anti-abortion laws Our Justice is challenging in the Doe v. Minnesota lawsuit
$24: Hours that patients in Minnesota need to wait between a mandatory counseling appointment and an abortion procedure, necessitating two visits to the clinic (and creating many additional barriers!)
$100: Average cost of a hotel room for someone traveling from out of town