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The hyde amendment's prohibition of federal funding for abortion--30 years is enough!

Article Excerpt
A.B. SOUNDED CLOSE TO TEARS on the phone as she told her story of seeking an abortion. As a resident of Pennsylvania, she receives $316 per month in TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) cash assistance to support herself and her young child. She is enrolled in Medicaid for her family's health coverage, she had just learned that her abortion will cost $300, which she must pay up-front, and that Medicaid does not cover abortions. If she is unable to obtain the money soon, the abortion's price will increase as her pregnancy progresses.

This was a call to the helpline of the Women's Medical Fund, an abortion access fund located in Philadelphia, PA. But the call could have been received by any of the National Network of Abortion Funds' 110 member funds. This association of grassroots groups provides over $2 million annually to help about 22,000 low-income women and teens have a safe and legal abortion. Most of the association's abortion funds raise money from individual donors, although some also receive grants from local family and community foundations. (1)

Why does this nationwide, community-based safety-net for poor women seeking abortions exist? Immediately after Roe r. wade legalized abortion in 1973, anti-choice forces began working toward their ultimate goal of recriminalizing...

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