After the leak of a draft document that indicates a change in the US Supreme Court’s understanding of abortion in the country, groups that defend the right to terminate a pregnancy have seen a rise in donations, as they prepare for a millionaire campaign in the elections of term of office.
The right to abortion in the US is guaranteed by Roe v. Wade, of 1973, but the draft signed by conservative judge Samuel Alito dated February 10th goes against that decision and that of another judgment, from 1992 (Planned Parenthood v. Casey), which ratified it. The text would already have the support of four other conservatives in the court, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Given this, donors have engaged to help the continuity of the work of abortion clinics and groups that help women pay for the procedure, as well as organizations that fight for the preservation of the right to terminate a pregnancy. Beneficiaries include both national entities, which have a hefty budget, as well as independent clinics and regional groups that are often overlooked.
The Abortion Care Network, for example, saw its biggest wave of donations for a period of about 36 hours. Between Monday night and Wednesday noon (4), more than 4,000 donors donated approximately US$ 100,000 (R$ 492,000) to a national association that brings together 150 independent clinics.
The money will go directly to the establishments, to help them stay open even if state laws prohibit them from operating, according to executive director Nikki Madsen. “We will continue to fight across the states to bring back access to abortion. We need to keep clinics open in the meantime.”
In the US, even if the Supreme Court changes its understanding of termination of pregnancy, each state can decide on the legality and set specific rules. While the practice remains authorized throughout the national territory, for example, local legislatures have tightened the rules.
This is the case of Oklahoma, which on Tuesday night banned the interruption after the sixth week of pregnancy. The state is home to the Roe Fund, which gives money to clinics to perform the procedure, and received more than $50,000 from 8,000 donors on Tuesday, according to treasurer Janice Massey. “It’s certainly the biggest wave [de doações] I’ve seen in 13 years on this job,” he said.
Another fund, the Kentucky Health Justice Network, had a similar flow. As of Monday night, more than 1,000 donors have donated about $50 each, according to Chief Operating Officer Ashley Jacobs. In the capital, the DC Abortion Fund, received more than US$105,000 between Monday night and Wednesday morning, its spokesman said.
Naral Pro-Choice America, meanwhile, saw only a slight increase of 1,403% in the 24 hours after the leak, but half of the donors were new, according to its spokeswoman. The nonprofit received $12.9 million in donations in fiscal 2021.
The increase in donations comes at an important moment, not only from the perspective of the change in the Supreme Court’s understanding, but also from the prediction of three groups that defend the right to abortion to spend US$ 150 million (R$ 738 million) in the elections of midterm in November.
Along with Naral Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Emily’s list explained that the joint investment aims to “aggressively respond to unprecedented attacks on sexual, reproductive and abortion rights across the country and raise awareness of the legislators who are to blame.”
The announcement was made even before the leak, in view of both the discussion that was already scheduled to take place in the Supreme Court and the state laws that have restricted the procedure. The three groups explained that the money will primarily go to swing states — which swing between Republicans and Democrats with each election — and those that can integrate efforts to maintain access to abortion across the country, including Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and California.
“We have reached a moment of crisis for access to abortion because conservative politicians have engaged in a coordinated effort to control our bodies and our future,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement.
