In its first six weeks, the Trump administration has unleashed federal-level attacks on abortion patients, providers, and reproductive health care access at large. These federal attacks have, in turn, emboldened state legislators to further chip away at abortion access. We wanted to take a moment to share some insights from the Abortion Bridge Collaborative (ABC) Fund on how this will impact our work and our grantees.

Foremost, the ABC Fund was designed for this moment of vulnerability and uncertainty. We believe that our model – which moves money rapidly, and allows movement leaders to direct the flow of money – will ensure that our grantmaking is risk-tolerant, consistently current, and adaptive to changing policies. Our work will not just continue, it will grow. 

To help you make sense of the headlines, here’s how ABC Fund grantees are responding:

Headline: “Arrest warrant issued for New York doctor indicted in Louisiana for prescribing abortion pill”

Background: This case is a politically-motivated attack on New York provider Dr. Maggie Carpenter, who was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury for prescribing medication abortion to a teenager in Louisiana – despite practicing under the legal guidelines of the New York shield law. (What’s a shield law, you ask? A shield law is a protection passed by states to specifically protect providers who use telehealth care to provide abortions for people in banned states. These laws have allowed over 10,000 abortion patients per month to access care without leaving their home states.) Governor Hochul has said repeatedly that New York’s shield law will stand and that she will not extradite Dr. Carpenter.

ABC Fund’s Role: Since our founding, the ABC Fund has seen the promise of shield law provision, as well as the reluctance of institutional funders to invest in this space. Funding bold and innovative work is a key strategy for ABC Fund, and this includes efforts that expand, protect, and utilize shield laws. We have been funding Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine (ACT) (of which Dr. Carpenter is a co-founder) since well before her indictment. As ACT recently told us: “Your early and generous support has been key to ACT being prepared for this moment.” Our other grantees working on shield law provision and telehealth expansion include the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, the Abortion Freedom Fund, Kimbritive, others. We are in solidarity with Dr. Carpenter, her fellow shield law providers, and all our grantees in this space, and we extend our sincere gratitude to them for their incredible commitment to abortion access and reproductive rights. 

Headline: “People are flocking out-of-state for abortion care. Clinics are fighting to keep up” 

Background: While most abortion seekers in banned states are treated via shield law telehealth provision, many people still need in-clinic care. Thus, many clinics in states that still allow abortion have had to increase hours, staffing, and practical support to accommodate patients traveling across state lines. Additionally, abortion funds have seen a tremendous increase in need, as they need to not only cover the cost of an appointment, but also airplane fares, bus tickets, hotel rooms, and more.

ABC Fund’s Role: The ABC Fund has always prioritized ensuring abortion clinics have the resources they need to care for their patients, and that patients have the sources they need to access care. Accordingly, we have funded:

• Over fifteen independent abortion providers and the Abortion Care Network, to ensure clinics have the investment needed to keep their doors open if they’re in states that limit services, and the capacity to expand care if they must serve additional patients crossing state lines. This includes providers using new models of care distribution, such as Aria Medical, which emerged to help address surges of need;
• Over thirty grassroots local abortion funds operating across the country. These funds provide direct services to ensure that abortion patients have the financial resources to cover the cost of their appointments;
• Practical support organizations and networks (such as Apiary and The Green Cab), abortion doula services (such as the Birthmark Doula Collective), and patient navigation supports (such as ineedana.com and Online Abortion Resource Squad) that ensure patients have the informational, financial, logistical, and emotional support needed to navigate barriers to access.

In our grantmaking, our first question is always: will this help more people directly access the abortions they need? We’re committed to making sure patients can get to clinics, and clinics can keep up.

Headline: “Trump administration drops lawsuit seeking to ensure abortion access in emergency rooms”

Background: In 2020, Idaho legislators passed a trigger law saying that abortion was not allowed, even in cases of medical emergency. Last year, the Biden administration sued the state of Idaho, saying this was a violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA, which became federal law in 1986). The Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the Idaho law during the lawsuit, effectively allowing emergency abortions in Idaho (and other states with severe bans) to continue. Now, the Trump administration has dropped the lawsuit. This decision effectively means that the federal government will no longer protect access to life-saving abortion care under EMTALA. (A separate lawsuit in Idaho gives continued protection there – for the moment.)

ABC Fund’s Role: While this decision leaves an enormous gap in our health care infrastructure, now is a critical time to ensure that abortion seekers, regardless of where they live, can continue to obtain safe, medically accurate, and proximate care options. ABC Fund proudly supports grantees who are building alternative systems and resources on which people experiencing miscarriage or seeking abortion can rely – whether they need medication abortion, emergency care, medical information, miscarriage, or post-abortion support. These grantees include: Innovations in Reproductive Health Access (Period Pills Project & Miscarriage Management), Miscarriage & Abortion Hotline, Self-Managed Abortion Safe & Supported (SASS), and more. 

With so much at stake, ABC Fund is committed to remaining vigilant, informed, and steady as we continue our work of supporting frontline organizations. We are working closely with legal experts and shoring up our safety and digital security measures to ensure best practices for our team, donors, and grantees. 

We know that organizations will continue to need a committed and forward-thinking partner like the ABC Fund to support experimentation, risk-taking, and innovation, which will ultimately move us toward the world we deserve. We’re so proud to do this work, and we cannot do it without you. 

Will you commit to supporting ABC Fund during this critical time?

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