A New York Times op-ed by TxPEP’s Samuel Dickman and Kari White explains the role of abortion funds in supporting access to abortion during the period that the restrictive Senate Bill 8 has been in effect in Texas.
They write, “But people shouldn’t have to rely on abortion funds for essential health care. For the same reason we cringe with collective shame at the GoFundMe campaigns for people unable to afford their insulin, we should not tolerate a system in which people’s reproductive health care is determined by the emotional appeal of a fund-raising pitch or outrage about a draconian law.”
The authors call for repealing the Hyde Amendment, ending restrictions on using private insurance for abortion, expanding Medicaid, and, in the long term, providing universal, publicly financed health coverage. They conclude, “Medical services should be accessible and free.”