About Us

Founded in 2001, the New York Abortion Access Fund supports New Yorkers, and people traveling to New York State, access abortion care through financial assistance, case management, and connections to other resources.  

NYAAF operates a volunteer-managed helpline that fields calls in English and Spanish. Our volunteer case managers provide compassionate support to people facing barriers, misinformation, and stigma, and move funds directly to ensure they can access the care they need and deserve. 

Following the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, more people than ever are traveling to New York to access the abortion care they need. However, more than half of our callers remain resident New Yorkers, because while New York is much more abortion friendly than other states, many barriers still exist here. NYAAF directly fills the gaps created by these barriers and has made abortion access a reality for thousands of callers in New York and across the country.

  • Since the overturn of Roe in June 2022, NYAAF has supported callers from 32 states and 13 countries. 

  • In 2023, we pledged 1.8 million dollars to directly pay for abortions—the highest annual amount in our history–and supported 1800 callers from across the country and beyond.

As New York’s only abortion fund, we believe no one should be denied access to an abortion because of where they live or how much money they make. 

Funding abortion is a radical act of community care.

Abortion Access In New York

Why does New York State need an abortion fund? Some of the barriers to abortion care include:

  • High costs: Abortion is prohibitively expensive for many people. In New York, the average cost of a first-trimester abortion is about $600 and can be as expensive as $30,000 for abortions later in pregnancy (yes, you read that right).

    • Lack of health insurance: Even though New York requires Medicaid and state-regulated private insurers to cover abortions, thousands of low-income people fall between the cracks. Many people may be low-income and struggle to pay for abortion procedures but don’t meet income guidelines to qualify for Medicaid.

    • Lack of abortion coverage: Many people have insurance plans that are regulated by other states or the federal government which prohibit abortion coverage. For example, the Hyde Amendment bars abortion coverage for Federal employees, including members of the armed services, and young people in New York may remain on their parents’ out-of-state insurance plans.

    • High deductibles or copays: Some people with private insurance that covers abortions still need financial support due to high deductibles or copays.

    • Unemployment: Job losses may result in a loss of health insurance coverage.

    • Insurance not accepted: Some clinics don’t accept certain insurance or Medicaid plans or don’t accept insurance at all after certain points in pregnancy, leaving many forced to pay out of pocket.

  • Some people face stigma and threats of violence. Young people who do not have family support and those in abusive relationships may not be able to use their parents’ health insurance.

  • Non-citizen immigrants face particular hurdles navigating access to abortion and other health care.

  • There is a limited number of clinics providing abortion, particularly in rural areas and upstate New York, and especially after 12 weeks, meaning many New Yorkers are forced to leave their communities, often traveling several hours, to access care.

  • Crisis pregnancy centers, or “fake clinics”, falsely pose as abortion clinics and attempt to mislead people seeking abortions, causing confusion, further stigmatization, and delays to accessing actual abortion care. There are more crisis pregnancy centers in New York state than there are legitimate abortion providers.

  • Protesters regularly gather outside of clinics across the state to intimidate and harass people entering the clinic for care.

  • As abortion bans and restrictions sweep much of the country, many people are forced to travel for abortion care. New York State, and New York City specifically, are major destinations for many people seeking abortions. Many people travel here because they have friends, family, or other connections in New York, others travel here because New York is one of the few states in the country that offers abortion care later in pregnancy, and others find that traveling here is easier or more convenient as New York is a major transportation hub. The need to travel often adds to delays to accessing care and increases the cost of the abortion. It also creates additional financial burdens associated with traveling, childcare, and taking off of work.

These barriers, and others, especially impact young people, Black folks, indigenous peoples, and other people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities, the working class, and people at the intersection of these and other marginalized identities and experiences.