The New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF) granted more than $62,000 over the past year to help 250 women obtain abortions that they would not otherwise have been able to afford. This is more than twice the number of women we supported in 2010. NYAAF is helping more women than ever before, but the need still exceeds our funds. We need your help.

While the economic climate has proven challenging for many of us, its impact has been deepest among low-income women and families. Many have lost jobs and benefits or make just enough that they do not qualify for public assistance. These women count on NYAAF and NYAAF counts on you.

Melissa is 26 years old. She has a husband serving in the U.S. military overseas and a young daughter with numerous special health care needs. When they learned that she was pregnant, Melissa and her husband considered their limited resources and decided to seek an abortion. The ban on federal funding for abortion meant that this basic medical service was not covered. Melissa managed to raise half of the cost of her procedure by delaying paying non-essential bills. NYAAF pledged the other half.

Erika is a 19-year-old college student with an infant. Her boyfriend had recently been laid off, leaving their family uninsured. She called NYAAF for help when her family refused to offer assistance. She’d saved $100 dollars from her student loan check. NYAAF pledged the remaining $250 and Erika received the abortion care she needed.

These are just two of the 250 women that NYAAF was able to help last year. The women that we serve are diverse in age, background, family status and race/ethnicity. They are united by the fact that, while they live in a country where abortion is safe and legal, for many it is not accessible without financial assistance.

Without NYAAF, low-income women across New York State will fall through the cracks. We help them find and access safe and affordable abortion services and we negotiate directly with clinics to offer discounted services.

This holiday season, we thank you for your past support and invite you to help us ensure that abortion is safe, legal, accessible, and funded. One-hundred percent of your tax-deductible donation directly supports low-income women’s abortions.

With gratitude,

The NYAAF Board of Directors