NIRH Applauds City and State Leaders Dedicating Funding to Expand Abortion Access
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Steph Reichin, [email protected]
Amid threat to Roe v. Wade, New York and Chicago announce critical funding for abortion access
NEW YORK – As states around the country pass draconian laws to restrict abortion access and bodily autonomy, NIRH, our partners, and elected leaders have taken a stand by announcing funding to increase access to abortion care in New York and Chicago, respectively. NIRH applauds these leaders for taking bold action to help those seeking and providing reproductive care around the country.
“With Roe v. Wade in jeopardy and half the states in the country poised to ban abortion, we anticipate that many people will be forced to seek care in states and cities with fewer barriers to abortion. Action to protect and expand abortion access at the state and local level – in every city and state possible – is absolutely critical,” said Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health and NIRH Action Fund. “We are proud to work with partners like the Chicago Abortion Fund to secure this funding, and we thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her partnership in leading this unprecedented charge in New York. By taking swift action to direct critical funding to support access to abortion care, individuals in New York, Chicago, and all across the country will benefit.”
Today, Governor Hochul, joined in a press conference by NIRH President Andrea Miller, announced a $35 million commitment to give reproductive health providers the resources they need at a time when individuals from across the country will look to New York for care. Of the funding Governor Hochul announced today, $25 million will go toward a new abortion provider support fund and $10 million will be dedicated to keeping clinics safe.
In addition, on Monday, Attorney General Letitia James – alongside New York Senator Cordell Cleare, Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, and NIRH leadership – announced a push to further protect abortion access by establishing a $50 million Reproductive Freedom and Equity Fund in New York. This Fund would cover not only provider resources and infrastructure, but also the cost of abortion procedures, travel, and lodging for individuals accessing abortion care in New York.
And Chicago passed the “Justice for All Pledge” and $500,000 to increase access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, through an abortion fund. This budget allocation follows a campaign led by NIRH’s partners, the Chicago Abortion Fund.
“In a perfect world, individuals would have access to the care they need in their own communities and would not face financial barriers in doing so. States like New York and cities like Chicago need to do all they can to become a bastion for reproductive health, rights, and justice. We call on legislators at the city and state level to follow the lead of New York and Chicago and dedicate funding to ensure that anyone who needs access to abortion care has the ability and financial support to get it,” said Miller. “NIRH stands ready to help policymakers and advocates take these steps to protect access to care.”
NIRH has worked with multiple partners over the last few years to secure funding for abortion care. In 2019, NIRH secured municipal funding to create a New York City abortion fund, then worked with partners in both Austin, TX and Portland, OR to create city funding for abortion access in those localities. And this year, NIRH worked again with Oregon partners on the ground to create a $15M fund for abortion care and provider infrastructure in Oregon.
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The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) is an advocacy group that works directly with state and local reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations and allied groups to protect and advance access to reproductive healthcare. For more than 40 years, NIRH has been partnering with communities to build coalitions, launch campaigns, and successfully advocate for policy change. NIRH’s strategy is to go on the offensive and focus on communities where change is needed, so the fabric of reproductive freedom becomes harder to tear apart.