Abortion Resources for Texans During COVID-19 Clinic Closures

Article is in collaboration with Hannah Thalenberg, abortion storyteller with We Testify & volunteer with Lilith Fund and CASN

Sam Oser
5 min readApr 15, 2020

Governor Greg Abbott loosened the ban on nonessential surgeries this week, but he said it would be up to courts to decide on restoring order to abortions. These last few weeks have been contentious as people who would normally have access to abortion no longer do, especially if they’re in the second-trimester.

Unless a patient is 10 weeks or less along, when medication abortion is effective, or pushing 20 weeks, they can’t get an abortion.

Despite efforts to completely ban abortion in Texas, U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will allow medication abortions, which involves a patient ingesting pills, to proceed in Texas during the coronavirus outbreak.

Before the courts decided on medication abortions, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared that in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, all abortion would be banned in the state except for any needed to protect a person’s life or health.

Clinics that continue to provide abortions despite the order would be punished potentially by criminal prosecution and incarceration.

RELATED: Texas Blames Abortion for Spreading the Virus, But it’s the State That has Put Millions at Risk

Houston Resources

Here is a list of resources for anyone in Houston seeking abortion during this time. Keep scrolling

  • Lillith FundDonation link
    We provide financial assistance and emotional support while building community spaces for people who need abortions in Texas — unapologetically, with compassion and conviction. Through organizing and movement-building, we foster a positive culture around abortion, strengthen people power, and fight for reproductive justice in and with our communities.
  • Clinic Access Support NetworkDonation link
    By mobilizing the power of volunteers, CASN provides transportation, accommodation, childcare assistance, and emotional support to people seeking abortion care in Houston.
  • Fund Texas Choice — Donation Link
    Fund Texas Choice (formerly Fund Texas Women) is a non-profit organization that pays for Texans’ travel to abortion clinics. We were formed in response to the passage of Texas House Bill 2, which closed nearly 75% of over 40 Texan clinics in 2013 and 2014. The closures were primarily in rural and low-income areas of the state, necessitating cost-prohibitive, time-wasting, and geographically-difficult travel for groups already facing financial obstacles to abortion.
  • Jane’s Due Process Donation Link
    Jane’s Due Process helps young people in Texas navigate parental consent laws on abortion and birth control. We provide free legal support, 1-on-1 case management, and stigma-free information on sexual and reproductive health.

State-Wide Resources

Here are more abortion funds and logistical support organizations that span all of Texas.

  • Texas Equal Access FundDonation link
    Texas Equal Access Fund provides funding to low-income people in the northern region of Texas who are seeking abortion and cannot afford it, while simultaneously working to end barriers to abortion access through community education and shifting the current culture toward reproductive justice.
  • Frontera Fund Donation link
    To provide practical support to people seeking abortions in the Rio Grande Valley and to Rio Grande Valley residents who travel to other clinics in Texas. La Frontera Fund advocates for reproductive justice by funding lodging costs for people seeking abortion services. La Frontera Fund opposes all restrictions to accessing a safe abortion and understands that lack of financial support is a barrier. La Frontera Fund was founded to help ease the severity of this financial barrier.
  • West FundDonation link
    We work to make abortions accessible for all people. We believe in reproductive justice and know it’s beyond abortion, which is why West Fund is engaged in local community issues ranging from gentrification, the environment, immigration, sexual health education and voter engagement. The safety of our communities and families depends on our collective political participation and civic engagement.
  • The Afiya Center Donation link
    The Afiya Center (TAC) was established in response to the increasing disparities between HIV incidences worldwide and the extraordinary prevalence of HIV among Black women and girls in Texas. TAC is unique in that it is the only Reproductive Justice (RJ) organization in North Texas founded and directed by Black women. Our mission is to serve Black women and girls by transforming their relationship with their sexual and reproductive health through addressing the consequences of reproduction oppression.
  • Bridge CollectiveDonation link
    Our mission is to ensure that all Texans have equal access to abortion care. We fulfill this mission by providing information, transportation, accommodation, and abortion doula services, and by helping clients navigate resources in Texas. We strive to create a climate of reproductive autonomy and justice for all pregnant people.

The National Network of Abortion Funds

The National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) does not directly support people who need abortions, but they do serve as a useful tool to for people to find local abortion funds.

What is an abortion fund? And other common questions answered for you here.
An abortion fund is a group of people who will help you pay for your abortion when you can’t afford it. Some funds are able to help you with travel, lodging, child care, doula, and translation services so that accessing an abortion is less challenging. Abortion funds also work to change laws and culture that make abortion hard to get. You can stay in touch after your procedure or become a member of the national network if you’d like to be a part of that change too.

NNAF Donation link
The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.

Plan C

Another option is self-managed abortion with pills up to 10 weeks gestation is safe. PlanCPills.Org offers all kinds of guidance and resources, including where to buy the pills online and FAQs. While the pill itself is physically safe, it could put people using it at risk of being criminalized.

Screenshot from: https://nnaf.formstack.com/forms/donate

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Sam Oser
Sam Oser

Written by Sam Oser

Reporting on the movements that fight back Sat @ 1:30 pm/CST on All Real Radio https://linktr.ee/unconventionaljournalist

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