National Council of Jewish Women Raises $1 Million to Help Patients Access Abortion Care

Abortion Hotline Cuts Services Due to Lack of Funds as the landscape for reproductive health care continues to shift. US organizations, politicians and individuals were tripping all over themselves to express support for abortion rights when Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Now, it seems that backing — at least financially — has fizzled. Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of that year.

The Jewish Fund for Abortion Access

National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) announced that its Jewish Fund for Abortion Access surpassed a million dollars in donated funds, which directly help thousands of patients navigate an increasingly complex abortion care landscape after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. NCJW launched the Jewish Fund for Abortion Access in May 2022 after the leaked Dobbs decision alerted the public of the imminent fall of Roe. The Fund is the first time that the 130-year-old organization has ever fundraised in support of a coordinated, movement-wide effort domestically.

“This is a moral emergency. People in this country can’t access basic healthcare, including abortion, and we won’t stand idly by as more and more stumbling blocks are laid in front of patients” said Sheila Katz, CEO of National Council of Jewish Women.

Supporting the National Abortion Hotline

These funds help patients who need immediate resources to cross state lines, stay at hotels, and pay for abortion care in partnership with the National Abortion Federation (NAF). NAF runs the National Abortion Hotline, which helps patients from the beginning to the end of the abortion care process. It ensures people seeking abortions get the care they deserve through its infrastructure to provide funding, guidance, and travel support for abortion care to patients anywhere in the country, including running the largest abortion hotline in the country.

Since the Dobbs decision, accessing abortion care has become exponentially more expensive as abortion bans force patients out of their home states for care. There has been a significant increase in need for funding to cover travel related expenses, including flights, hotel accommodations, and food stipends for those traveling to access care.

Fundraising Impact and Community Efforts

The million dollars the Fund has raised came primarily from thousands of small-dollar donations from individuals moved to help after the Supreme Court’s ruling this summer. Over 90 percent of the more than 5,000 donations to the Jewish Fund for Abortion Access were $250 or less. A number of donors also organized creative fundraisers, raising thousands of dollars for the cause:

• Temple Sinai’s reproductive justice task force in DC: Encouraged their congregation to donate and raised $9,700 for the Fund.
• An LA Friendraiser: Organized an intergenerational effort that raised $36,000 for the Fund – largely from small-dollar gifts.
• Mara Jill Herman in New York: Organized the “Ruth Sent Us: A Benefit For Reproductive Justice” concert, raising $3,000 for NCJW’s Fund.

The Fund is a vehicle for people to turn their Jewish values of prioritizing health, pursuing justice, and showing up to take action into real-life, tangible impact.