Portland, OR—While anti-abortion activists across the nation fight to defund Planned Parenthood, repeal healthcare, rollback access to safe abortion services and prevent women from accessing clinics, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon is prouder than ever to state that we trust and support women in their right to access safe abortion care. We also know that gas money, a bus ticket, or the cost of a hotel can also be a significant barrier for women in traveling to access the services they need, and our newly-renamed abortion fund will continue to eliminate those barriers so that women can access timely abortion services even when they are far from home.
NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon manages the only fund in Oregon established to provide financial assistance for women traveling to access abortion care. Established in 1989 as the “Spring Adams Fund,” we are excited to announce the fund’s new name: Safe Travels. With this new name we will more accurately reflect the current reality of women traveling from across Oregon and parts of Washington and Idaho to access care from Portland’s abortion providers and give voice to their experiences.
Oregon is often called the “most pro-choice state in the nation,” with no legal restrictions on abortion care, but this does not mean equal access to abortion services for all women in Oregon. With our 98,381 square-mile state, women traveling to Portland experience the same burdens as those in other geographically expansive states like Texas. Considering that a round trip drive from Medford is 540 miles or Bend is 320 miles, transportation requires substantial time and effort to access care. Many women are still denied insurance coverage for abortion or must pay sky-high deductibles, leaving them to have to come up with $500-$2000 in unexpected expenses. Add the cost of travel for those coming from outside the Portland area, and many women are forced to delay their procedure or forego care altogether due to these barriers.
NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon’s Safe Travels fund is one way we show our commitment to ensure access and support women in their decision to have an abortion. The fund is primarily supported by individual donors, whose gifts go directly toward supporting the real women affected by abortion politics and ideology. “We know that women who travel to Portland for an abortion are considering many things; from childcare, to time off from work, to being able to depend on a hotel room or gas money, these can all be the financial differences that make or break their ability to seek timely care.” Hannah Rosenau, program director at OFRH says, “I think this fund is incredibly important.” When people delay or reschedule their abortion because of travel barriers, it not only causes increased burden for the woman but the cost and complexity of the procedure increases dramatically as well. Not having a safe place to stay or a way to get to their appointment puts an emotional and economic strain on women and families. Safe Travels is NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon’s response to the current barriers to safe abortion that we see and allows us to directly support women in their decisions despite economic and geographic circumstances.
