Women’s Needs Must Be Met

Terry O'Neill at a DCAF Fundraiser

Tonight I attended a happy hour fundraiser for the DC Abortion Fund (DCAF). The fund provides assistance to low income women in the DC Metro area who are seeking abortions. In 2008 they received an average pledge amount of $194, however abortions can cost as much as $500.  Women who access these services are low-income women and often women of color. DCAF does not release numbers on how many women they have helped, but nearly 1 in 5 women in DC live at or below the poverty line, so it’s likely that they don’t meet the needs of every client.

The truth is that low-income women should not have to rely on the services of a small fund that relies on local area donors. Women must be able to rely on health care services that meet their needs.  This is yet another reason why women need single payer health care, and why the Hyde Amendment, which denies Medicaid coverage for abortion, must be overturned to ensure all women have equal control of their bodies and lives. Bodily integrity is a human right, and women are human too!   

Terry O’Neill, NOW President-Elect