How does NYAAF provide support?

NYAAF provides funding directly to clinics on behalf of the women we serve. When a clinic we work with sees a patient who needs assistance, NYAAF is one of the potential funding sources to which they turn. The clinic then bills us for the amount we commit to covering.

Why does New York State, a state where women can get public health insurance coverage for abortion services, need an abortion fund?

Shouting protestors are not the only barrier to abortion access. Abortion is prohibitively expensive for many women with the average cost ranging from $523 at 10 weeks, to $1,339 at 20 weeks gestation. Even in New York and the 16 other states that provide Medicaid coverage for abortion, thousands of low-income women fall between the cracks. Many women may be too poor to pay for abortion procedures, but they are uninsured and not poor enough to obtain public health insurance coverage, such as Medicaid.

In addition to helping local women, NYAAF also assists women from out of state who need help covering the costs of their procedures in New York. New York City (NYC) is a major destination for many women across the country seeking abortions for a number of reasons. Some women find that abortion is more affordable in NYC than in their home states, others come from areas where there are no abortion providers at all, and others come because they may be able to have procedures done in later stages of pregnancy.

NYAAF has made grants to women from New York and from many other states including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, and Maryland. We have also helped women from as far away as Texas, Utah, and Bermuda to access safe legal abortion in New York.