Columbus City Council is granting $1 million to help Ohioans get abortions, including legal abortions out of state if they are ineligible to get one in Ohio due to its ban after fetal cardiac activity is detected.
Half of that money, $500,000, is going to the Member Assistance Program, a service of the Ohio Women's Alliance, a reproductive justice network, and the Abortion Fund of Ohio. Rhiannon Carnes, the co-founder and co-executive director of the Ohio Women's Alliance, talks with WKSU "Morning Edition" host Amy Eddings about the impact that money will have.
So, has the Member Assistance Program ever received a gift this large before?
No. We have never received the gift this large, and we're so thankful to Columbus City Council for recognizing this need in our, in our city. And also we believe that this will set precedents for other states and other communities who are struggling to find ways to make sure that people are still able to access abortion.
Now, tell me about the Member Assistance Program. What is it? What services does it provide?
Yeah. So, we launched the Member Assistance Program in partnership with Abortion Fund of Ohio to support people in need of abortion, practical support care, and that includes, like, lodging and transportation and access to a "warm line" for us to help identify additional needs. It's much like an employee assistance program that supports employees with patient navigation and services, and our Member Assistance Program will provide some more support for people who are most vulnerable in our community. We know right now they're currently going to be heavily scrutinized and possibly even criminalized while accessing abortion and reproductive health care.
And tell me, who who are your clients, primarily?
Our clients will primarily be people who are accessing abortion health care. But we know that those folks are mostly in poverty levels and people who are of color and Black women. And so this program is really vital to be able to support those who are in their most vulnerable time of need.
Let me cast a little bit forward into the future, if I may. In Texas, there's a law that awards at least $10,000 in legal damages to any private citizen who successfully sues someone who aids or abets an abortion. Ohio has a similar bill waiting in the wings. Could that Texas law and copycat laws like it be used to stop what you're doing, to stop contributions to abortion funds and block funds from spending money on women seeking an abortion?
I mean, that could be possible. We've seen a lot of copycat legislation being reproduced here in our state. But I think we just have to really make sure that we are taking care of ourselves and our people. And that's what we're doing through our Member Assistance Program.
Have you seen an increase in requests for help since Ohio's ban went into effect on abortions after fetal cardiac activity's detected? It's, what, been about a month now?
Yes, we have. We've seen an increased need of practical support care for people who are trying to access an abortion. And I'm working with Abortion Fund of Ohio. My recent conversations with them, the cost of practical support care for the entire year of 2021 has been met in the last, like, month since the decision. So it clearly didn't stop the need of abortion. The only thing it did was create more barriers and increase financial distress.
So, wait a minute. If I, if I follow you correctly, the fund has spent more in the past, has spent as much in the past month as it did all last year, helping women get abortion care.
That is correct.
Wow. And what's the biggest need? Is it transportation? Is it just paying for a procedure?
It's transportation, it's lodging and it's child care. You know, most people who decide to have an abortion already have children. I've also spoken with ROOTT (Restoring Our Own Through Transformation), which is a doula organization, and people are just reaching out before they even know that they're pregnant because they're just afraid that if their contraceptive fails them or if they become, you know, pregnant unwantedly. So, there's just been an influx overall, which also makes it harder for us to be able to reach those who need more timely services.
