A guest post by Chanel Dubofsky. 

1. In 2008, 39% of New York counties had no abortion provider. This means more people needing abortions must travel further to have the procedure done, and makes the work of NYAAF even more urgent and crucial.

2. New York State is a haven for people who need abortions. The state does not have any of the major types of abortion restrictions—such as waiting periods, mandated parental involvement or limitations on publicly funded abortions—often found in other states.

3. More donations = more abortions funded! The amount of funds NYAAF has pledged as well as the number of grantees served continues to grow with each passing fiscal year.

4. The average cost of procedure NYAAF sponsored was $906, and the most common was $500. The average grant size was $303. Could you afford that out of pocket?

5. In NYAAF’s  first ever email “Emergency Appeal,” 41 people donated $1,719 towards care for Sophia, a New York state resident undergoing chemotherapy, whose pregnancy and fetal anomalies were discovered at an advanced stage after doctors told her she could not get pregnant. The abortion itself cost over $12,000 (before travel costs and accommodations). Despite Sophia’s personal contribution and significant assistance from the National Abortion Federation, there remained a $1,750 balance. This pledge size was ten times NYAAF’s average grant amount.

6. When you give to NYAAF, you’re supporting a truly collaborative funding process. Resources are coordinated among  grantees, clinics, and partner abortion funds. More than three-quarters of grantees contributed money toward their abortion. One grantee contributed $4,900, while another was able to contribute just $30. The average grantee contribution was $355 and the most common grantee contribution was $200.

7. Abortion is a common experience: At current rates, about one in three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45.