Pregnant women in Arizona unable to pay for an abortion can now get help to cover the procedure, no questions asked, through a program started by the Abortion Access Network of Arizona.
“We offer funding without exception,” said Carrie Klaege, a co-founder of the network. “We don’t feel it’s necessary to question the level of their need.”
Before the program became fully operational last month, the only economic assistance for abortions in Arizona came from Planned Parenthood, which offers a sliding-scale payment plan based on household income and family size. The cost of an abortion ranges from $400 to $2,000, depending on the length of gestation period.
Under the Abortion Access Network’s program, women are not required to disclose factors like income or immigration status. Many patients are often referred to the organization after they have made an appointment at an abortion clinic.
The Arizona network acts as an independent entity. It is part of the National Network of Abortion Funds, which includes more than 100 abortion funds around the United States, according to its website.
The money available monthly determines whether the network can pay for procedures entirely or in part. In December, the fund paid for 17 abortions, and by mid-January it had paid for three more.
Women who seek help from the organization have already firmly decided to get an abortion, Klaege said. Workers for the network do not provide counseling but will refer a patient to a clinic if they sense a woman needs more time to consider her options.
After an appointment is made at an abortion clinic, the organization works with the clinic to make payment arrangements. The payment process is usually completed after an abortion has been done. Klaege said this allowed patients to concentrate on receiving care without worrying about money.
The money for the Abortion Access Network program comes from donations and fundraising efforts. Donors can contribute through a PayPal account on the network’s website or by mailing a check.
Gloria Feldt, a former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America who also served as chief executive of the Arizona branch, learned about the Abortion Access Network fund from Serena Freewomyn, one of the fund’s co-founders, and immediately supported the idea.
“Abortion should be covered as a part of women’s health care. It’s one of the most basic elements,” Feldt said. “It’s most unfortunate and unfair that these funds are needed, but there isn’t government funding, and many insurance plans don’t cover abortions.”
Stacey Stewart, 31, said she made a $100 donation to the Abortion Access Network of Arizona because she identifies with pro-choice and feminist causes.
“Abortion, in a way, saves women’s lives,” Stewart said. “I want to make sure that women have a choice about whether or not they want to go through with an unplanned pregnancy.”
Donors in Arizona can receive a tax credit for their contributions, but a law passed by the Legislature in April could end that provision.
The law, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican of Glendale, would exclude organizations and people from the state’s Working Poor Tax Credit Program who “provide, pay for, promote, provide coverage of or provide referrals for abortions.”
The Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, filed a lawsuit asserting that the law violated freedom of speech. In December an Arizona federal judge issued a temporary injunction that prevented the law from going into effect on Jan. 1 while the lawsuit moves through the courts.
Klaege said the law would not affect the Abortion Access Network, because “people who are committed to donating to an abortion fund will do so regardless of whether or not they’ll receive a tax credit.”
This article has been updated to reflect the following correction:
An earlier version of this article gave the incorrect age for Stacey Stewart, who donated money to the Abortion Access Network of Arizona. She is 31, not 41.
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