'Perfect storm' of crises is leading to cutbacks in abortion care, advocates say [View all]
Last edited Wed Aug 14, 2024, 09:41 PM - Edit history (1)
Advocates for abortion access say compounding crises of abortion bans, rising economic costs and systemic health care issues are beginning to cause significant funding challenges and potential disruptions to reproductive care of all kinds.
Several people described it as a “perfect storm” of problems with the U.S. health care system, particularly post-pandemic, and the rise of abortion bans and other reproductive care restrictions in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022. Many individuals must now travel hundreds or thousands of miles to seek abortion care, and the consolidation of demand at a smaller number of clinics is increasing wait times, which means pregnancies progress to a more advanced stage and the costs balloon further. According to leaders of Planned Parenthood affiliates and abortion funds, there simply aren’t enough dollars right now to support the need at any level. A recent report from #WeCount showed the number of abortions nationwide started to increase in 2017 and has continued to increase post-Dobbs, with more than 102,000 abortions in January alone.
Abortion fund directors nationwide have been raising the alarm for months about declining donation revenue and their struggles to meet the needs of those seeking help with the financial burdens of finding abortion care, especially those who live in one of 22 states with near-total bans or severely restrictive abortion laws. That includes every state in the Southeast.
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England announced at the beginning of the month a projected funding shortfall of about $8.6 million over the next three years, and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York announced just a few days later that it would pause abortion care at or beyond 20 weeks because of financial struggles that began earlier this year. The National Abortion Federation runs America’s largest financial assistance program for abortion patients and said that just in the first half of this year it has partially funded more than 60,000 people’s abortions — a total of around $6 million per month — but has now had to reduce patient grants from 50% of the cost of care to 30%. ............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/08/14/perfect-storm-of-crises-is-leading-to-cutbacks-in-abortion-care-advocates-say/