The inexplicable, grueling fight for women to have control over our own bodies in the year 2019 is getting increasingly difficult by the day—see most recently Trump's Title X "gag rule" and Missouri's fight to have its sole abortion clinic remain open. Now, we're starting to witness major organizations and companies across the country join the battle. (Men, please take note.) GoFundMe, the for-profit crowdfunding platform that helps people raise money for all sorts of causes, has created its own centralized GoFundMe for a new megafund called "Fight Back: Protect Abortion Access."
The campaign will "give donors the power to join multiple aspects of the fight to protect abortion and reproductive rights," according to a GoFundMe press release, essentially creating a centralized and scam-free way to help organizations fighting the good fight. Money raised for the campaign will directly support the National Network of Abortion Funds, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU Foundation.
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Donations to these organizations will help fund legal battles, raise awareness for critical services, and, ultimately, help keep places like Planned Parenthood accessible for women who use the clinics for their sexual health care. The donations will be split amongst the five organizations. (25 percent to National Network of Abortion Funds, Inc., 17.5 percent to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., 17.5 percent to ACLU Foundation, Inc., 20 percent to Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and 20 percent to American Civil Liberties Union, Inc.) Ironically, GoFundMe banned abortion-related campaigns back in 2014, so this is a huge step for the platform.
"Access to abortion is under attack in this country. Already too many face burdensome waiting periods, medically unnecessary restrictions, denials of insurance coverage, and other hurdles meant to make it harder to get an abortion," GoFundMe wrote on its "Fight Back: Protect Abortion Access" campaign page. "As a result, for too many people abortion is already inaccessible. And now, we are seeing a rash of abortion bans sweeping the country, all with one goal in mind—to bring a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade to the Supreme Court, and take away the constitutional right to abortion altogether. This is not just an attack on people in Missouri or Georgia or Alabama, this is an attack on all of us."
The organization also talks about the increased struggles people of color face for the same health care accessibility. "While these bans affect all of us, we know that these bans and other efforts to restrict abortion will hit people of color and those who are struggling to make ends meet the hardest—the people who already face barriers to accessing good health care. While some wealthy people may be able to find a way around abortion bans, far too many—especially those who already face racism, homophobia, and transphobia—will be left with no options at all."
If you have the means, you can donate to the Fight Back fund, below. You can also donate to these organizations individually, if you prefer.
As of press time, $26,258 of GoFundMe's $500,000 goal has been completed.
DONATE TO GOFUNDME'S "FIGHT BACK" CAMPAIGN
DONATE TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND
DONATE TO THE NATIONAL NETWORK OF ABORTION FUNDS
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Rachel Epstein is an editor at Marie Claire, where she writes and edits culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also manages the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game, finding a new coffee shop, or analyzing your cousin's birth chart—in no particular order.
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