October 3-7 | Starting at $500Blue Ridge Abortion Fund
Reproductive justice and mutual aid
They believe that funding abortion is an act of radical care and that all members of community should have the agency and resources to make their own decisions about their bodies and lives. Blue Ridge Abortion Fund began with a pickle jar at a county fair with members of Charlottesville NOW collecting money to help someone pay for their abortion. Like many abortion funds, the work began with a need and a whisper network was formed, community gathering money when a person shared a need. In those 36 years, Blue Ridge Abortion Fund has supported more than 10,000 callers with financial support, transportation, and lodging assistance for abortions.
Since 1989, Blue Ridge Abortion Fund has been working to make abortion access possible all across the region.
Find out what resources exist in your community that provides abortion care, reproductive wellness, childcare, etc and map out who and where they are so you can help others know who trusted providers are. Get a group of folks together and find ways to raise funds (fundathons, mutual aid, donors) and develop a way for folks to reach out to you (phone call, email, dm) and how to get the funds they need to them.
How to start
The National Network of Abortion Funds works to build a world where all reproductive options are valued, accessible, and stigma-free and partners with their member abortion funds to build a base of collective power.
Real world examples
Whisper Networks: A safer way for those in community to share information without threat from existing power structures or people who hold power over the community. Whisper networks existed for survivors to identify perpetrators and ways to keep themselves safe when institutions refused to protect them or hold harm-doers accountable. Many abortion funds started as community sharing reproductive care information with those in need
Historical legacy
“I fund abortion because I remember wondering how I’d pay for my abortion, and I don’t want anyone else to experience that fear or panic. Everyone deserves access and compassion, period. ”
