We’ll be short on food money for a while - Leila’s Story
My son is 11 months old with a serious birth defect. He’s been in and out of intensive care for his whole life and has three or four doctor’s appointments every month. After he was born, I had to drop out of college and I lost my job because of all the appointments. My son’s medical care is covered by Medicaid, but it won’t cover my abortion.
How can I find the money for an abortion when there’s not enough for diapers? And how could I raise two babies when the one I have now needs all that I have to give?
I just moved to this state to live with my best friend and her baby. We thought that we could do better if we worked together, took care of each other.
But now I’ve already had to take money out of our grocery fund to put toward the cost of my abortion. My friend understands, but we’re going to be short on food money for a while. I borrowed money from some old classmates. I sold my television. I managed to scrape together what I needed. But when I got to the clinic, they told me that my abortion would cost $100 more.
$100 more than I had. $100 more than I could imagine finding.
There was no way I could go home without getting my abortion. So I sat down my diaper bag and started pulling things out – formula, bottles, diapers – to sell to the other women in the waiting room. Maybe I could raise that $100 right there.
I was breathing so hard and fast that I thought I might pass out. My heart was beating so loud that I almost didn’t hear the nurse calling my name. But she was calling my name to tell me that she knew someone who could help.
She took the formula out of my hands and put it back in the diaper bag. She handed me the telephone and a phone number.
The woman who answered asked me how much I needed. And then she asked to talk to the nurse.
And just like that, I had the last $100 I needed.
Just like that, I could get my abortion.
Just like that, I could concentrate on my son, and his health, and our life.
The National Network of Abortion Funds helps people find money to help pay for their abortion. With the Hyde Amendment in place, Medicaid’s federal funding cannot be used for an abortion, and only 15 states allow their money to be used for abortions.
You can find a compiled list of international, national, and state abortion funds here. Please consider donating to NNAF or signing the petition to repeal the Hyde Amendment. Choice is about more than the legal right to an abortion - it’s about access, too.
Signal boost.
Wow.
(via feministdisney)
