Pennsylvania's largest abortion fund gets donation boost
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The Abortion Liberation Fund of Pennsylvania has received an avalanche of funding since a draft Supreme Court opinion signaling a potential reversal of Roe v. Wade was leaked last week.
State of play: The organization — the largest in the state providing financial support to low-income people seeking abortions — raised more than $80,000 over the last week.
- Before last Monday, the organization had raised around $38,000 since March. That has since skyrocketed to nearly $120,000.
- Donations have ranged from $5 to $10,000, but 80% are under $280, the nonprofit's executive director Elicia Gonzales tells Axios.
Between the lines: Despite the influx of cash, the organization's funding still isn't enough to meet the local need, Gonzales says.
- Last year, the organization used around $667,000 worth of funding to help 3,200 people pay for abortions, but the need was closer to 7,000.
- Gonzales predicts the fund could give out $680,000 this year. But she worries the organization might not be able to help as many people as pandemic-related hardships put more financial strain on those in need, requiring larger chunks of funding to seek care.
What they're saying: Gonzales says it's typical for the organization to get funding when news breaks about potential abortion restrictions.
- The group also received an influx of donations when Justice Brett Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court and when former President Donald Trump was elected, she notes.
- "Honestly, we feel mixed," she says. "We don't want to make light of the fact that we've seen this increase in revenue because of something violent happening in our courts. At the same time we remain hopeful in remembering that we are not in this alone."
What's ahead: The nonprofit recently upped the fundraising goal from $50,000 to $125,000 through May 31.