Health

HE A LTH • Fall 2022 9 Response: Money & volunteers Vikky Angelico, board president of the Jane Fund, the abortion fund serving Central Massachusetts, said the Dobbs decision served as a sort of awakening. "There was a lot of shock and surprise and hor- ror, and I think a lot of despair; but a lot of ener- gized despair," Angelico said. Immediately following the ruling, donations started surging into the Jane Fund, as did volun- teer applications. The same is true at the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund, which has seen donations from the local community and through the National Network of Abortion Funds, board member Margaret Batten said. Batten said she is con- cerned, however, abortion funding could just be the hot topic right now, and donations will fade over time. "I feel confident about our ability to meet the need right now, but people are going to need abortions next year and the year after that. Abortion bans don't eliminate the need for care," Batten said. "I worry that people will over time lose interest. That's why monthly donations are terrific. We need to keep people engaged on the issue." Some of the money f looding into the Jane Fund is coming from out of state, Angelico said. She thinks this is because websites like ActBlue allow donations to be split among multiple charities. But, she said, it could be because abortion laws in Massachusetts are pretty clear, whereas funds in other states like Texas might be facing an uncer- tain future. Even in Massachusetts, however, there are plen- ty of legal issues to sort out. Angelico and Batten both said their abortion funds are getting pro bono legal advice from established firms to navi- gate the new legal waters and mitigate risk. For example, all work must be done within the bor- ders of the commonwealth – working remotely from another state will not jive in the current environment. "We are aware that there is some unavoidable risk. We will be watchful as things unfold," Batten said. "I'm confident that there will be a slew of lawsuits between states on how to work out novel legal issues, so we'll rely on good counsel from our lawyers." The abortion issue opens up a whole separate legal minefield, and that is the issue of privacy, Rose said. "What's happening now with reproductive jus- tice battles across the country, we're able to see how important consumer and data privacy is," she said. "Data that arises from our search words, if they give those over to governments that would prosecute us, that's a sign we need to do more as a society to have biometric privacy." Politics According to the latest data from the Pew Research Center, 61% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 37% think it should be illegal in all or most cases. The first abortion ballot measure after Roe was struck down turned out to be a major victory for pro-choice advocates. In an Aug. 2 election in Kansas, 59% of voters said no to a ballot question that would have amended the state constitution to remove protection of abortion rights, according to election results reported by the New York Times. What this says, Rose said, is most people believe the government should not be involved in people's healthcare decisions. She said that means pro-choice positions will be popular in this year's midterm elections. "People can disagree on what's right and wrong, but we should make our own decisions. That's a message that resonates regardless of partisan persuasion," she said. "The people of Kansas rose up and said, 'It's not a partisan issue. It's a personal autonomy issue.'" Even as some states continue to uphold abortion rights, Batten said it's important to remember legality and access are not synonymous. "It bears repeating that the same people who face discrimination in other areas of life – particularly those who are Black, indigenous, people of color, those who are undocumented, people living with disabilities or in rural areas, young people, and people struggling to make ends meet – face greater hurdles in accessing abortion care and health care generally," Batten said. "We need to work harder to reach those people with the message that abortion funds are here to help with financial and logistical support." PHOTO | BE YOU PHOTOGRAPHY BY VYNE Abortion access, by the numbers In the U.S., 44 out of 50 states prohibit abortion after a certain point in pregnancy. • Nine states have total abortion bans • Five states ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy • One state bans abortions at 15 weeks • Nine states ban abortion after 22 weeks • Four states ban abortion after 24 weeks, including Massachusetts, with some exceptions • 17 states impose a ban at viability of the fetus • One state imposes a ban in the third trimester Source: Guttmacher Institute H

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