Fund Spotlight

Do you have a tv you can pawn, a stereo, what about jewelry? Some people do odd jobs like babysit or do hair. I spoke to a young patient a while ago whose boyfriend spent an afternoon washing cars.

Paying for an abortion can be difficult. In this economy it’s only getting more difficult as more and more people are losing their jobs, losing their houses. I spend day-after-day talking to women who can’t afford to pay for their abortion. I say the same things to them, every one of them. Pawn something, what about the man involved, how about a payday loan? It’s weird to have intimate discussions like this with people you don’t know. I’m not talking about intimate like how they got pregnant or about their abortion. I’m talking about their finances.

I feel like a broken record, giving the same suggestions. I don’t know your particular situation, but here are some general ideas to help get the ball rolling. Sometimes they get mad at me for suggesting they pawn something. I don’t have a job, how will I get my tv back if I pawn it? I’ve already pawned everything I have to pay my bills. There is no man involved.

It seems that right now, more and more people need financial assistance for a host of reasons. In some cases, people qualify for government assistance – foods stamps, Medicaid. Unfortunately, as we all know, abortion funding does not get any assistance from the federal government and usually no assistance from state governments. I know I’ve said all this before, but I feel it’s worth repeating. Thanks to small abortion funds throughout the country, women in need are not out of hope. I wanted to take this opportunity to spotlight a local abortion fund.

The Chicago Abortion Fund is a small fund out of Chicago that helps residents of Illinois and women travelling to Illinois. They also look like a great resource for general abortion assistance in the state. http://www.chicagoabortionfund.com/ Check them out. As always, if you’re interested in helping your own local fund, you can find one in your area at http://www.nnaf.org/.