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Smelly bowling shoes. Delicious pitchers of PBR. Hot wings and tiny pizzas. Feminist activists in Rosie the Riveter getup and tutus. This is the stuff of true abortion access in New York, and the US. This is the New York Abortion Access Fund bowl-a-thon at its finest and most brilliant.

I’m sorry, what’s that? Why on Earth are bowling fundraisers underwriting women’s access to a legal medical procedure? Yes, I understand your confusion. It doesn’t make sense. But here’s why…

The Hyde Amendment banned Medicaid coverage of abortion in 1976. We have this musty old piece of legislation to thank for bringing us all together each year to show off our best (and, in my case, worst) bowling moves. Despite the fact that Americans believe that abortion care should be informed by medical facts, nonjudgmental, comfortable, and affordable, our health system is decades behind and low-income women suffer the consequences.

Without the National Network of Abortion Fund (NNAF), the more than 200,000 low-income women who utilize the fund would not be able to access the reproductive health services they need. This is women like Jemima Kirke. This is Donna in Obvious Child. This is the vast majority of women I spoke to as an abortion counselor. This is one in four women enrolled in Medicaid.

Plain and simple: I fund abortions because I want one less woman to go hungry, risk eviction, or pawn her possessions as she attempts to raise money for an abortion. It’s just not ok.

How can you help? You can contribute to this effort by supporting my team (SHOUT OUT TO THE BETTER ‘BORTIONS BUREAU). You can sign the petition calling for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. And you can continue to elect pro-choice candidates.

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Categories: Health, Money