Just a quick update from last week’s intake duty. Think y’all might be interested in hearing the kinds of cases we deal with on a weekly basis.

It was a busy week. We funded 5 women’s procedures, but fielded many more calls and more are in the works for this week.

One that stands out:
Tia from Philadelphia. A 26-year-old mother of two, she emailed us on Tuesday, 9 weeks pregnant and desperate for help. She is on welfare and has Medicaid, but because she happens to be from Pennsylvania–a state that does not allow any state Medicaid funding to be used for abortions–she may as well have been uninsured. She wanted to come to NYC for the procedure, because the cost is substantially less here than many other cities–even when you take into account travel costs to get here. Guess it’s a supply and demand thing–so many providers here they have to compete by lowering the cost.

While we answer email, it’s easiest to deal with clients and clinics by phone to ensure quick results, so I asked Tia to call me. She responded to my email with apologies, saying that she was so poor she had no long distance calling on her phone, and asked that I call her if at all possible.

Tia had saved $100, and the cost of the procedure was $425. I called the clinic and was able to negotiate a $50 dollar discount. That left $275, but given all the other cases this week and our fiscal situtation, I took the extra step to call the abortion fund in Philly and they agreed to pledge $50 as well, given that she was a Philly resident. So NYAAF pledged $225 for Tia and she was able to get to NYC and had her procedure on Friday.

Tia was exceedingly grateful to us for the assistance, and I am in turn exceedingly grateful to all of YOU–our supporters and donors who make it possible for us to help women in need!!!

All for now,
Julia