by Taylor Burris
With Senate Bill 8 effective on September 1st of this year, Horned Frogs’ access to abortion is shrinking.[1] This new law effectively bans all abortions in Texas past 6 weeks by targeting providers and people who help abortion seekers. The unconstitutional mechanisms of this law are covered in better detail in this New York Times article. If you or someone you know needs help exercising your right to choose, here are a few of the many organizations offering informational, emotional, and financial help.
Filtering through the resources available to pregnant individuals can be hard in the limited timeframe and stress of experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. A search for “women’s centers” can turn up pregnancy crisis centers which sometimes engage in unethical practices, including luring people in with vaguely medical aesthetics and spreading misinformation about the legality and health effects of abortion.[2] To help you avoid those centers, here are a few organizations and advocacy groups which can help you to uncover your options and move forward.
- AbortionFinder.org will help you figure out how far along you are, what methods will work for your progress, your closest abortion providers, and the relevant laws in your area. Power to Decide, the organization behind Abortion Finder, regularly vets all of the clinics listed to ensure they provide the services they advertise, and checks that legal information is up to date and accurate. [3]
- AidAccess.org does online consultation for abortion medications which work for healthy individuals who are less than 11 weeks pregnant. After your consultation, they will mail the medicine and instructions you need for a medical abortion anywhere in the United States.[4]
- Teafund.org is the site for the Texas Equal Access Fund, which provides emotional and financial support for abortion access and works with clinics in the Dallas Fort-Worth area. Tea Fund is committed to supporting people of color, people with low incomes, and people from rural communities. Their average grant size of $300 does not fully cover the costs of abortion but is still valuable local help.
- FundTexasChoice.org is an organization that helps arrange and pay for transportation and accommodation costs of traveling to abortion clinics for Texans. They do not pay for the procedure itself but can help put you in contact with other sources of funding.[5]
- The Cicada Collective is an intersectional group centered on queer and trans people of color in the North Texas area. In addition to education and activism around reproductive freedom, they have a North Texas Abortion Network which offers help through transportation, lodging, and doula services for abortions.[6]
What Can We Do to Help?
Donate to any of the above-mentioned organizations if you’re able to. Talk to your community about why reproductive freedom is freedom for everyone. Urge your Congress member to protect abortion at the federal level by discussing the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) with them and your community. The WHPA aims to preserve the right to abortion and prevent the loss of our right to choose in the event that Roe v Wade is overturned. Find more information on the bill here. [7]
[1]Texas Abortion Law: Questions and Answers & Bill Text: TX SB8 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled