Making Abortion Care Access a Reality

ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE has been helping people gain access to abortion and reproductive care for 30 years. As the only stand-alone abortion fund in the state of California, one that primarily serves historically marginalized communities, its staff helps clients with empathy and expertise.

When a caller phones the ACCESS RJ Healthline, they often require a range of vital services: A bus ticket from a rural area, a plane ticket from another state, a hotel room or childcare, logistical support, or emotional support. Or the caller may need financial help with the cost of an abortion or medication. Whatever the need, ACCESS RJ meets them where they are.

“It was so encouraging. I felt well cared for and listened to, didn’t feel like I needed to over-explain myself or why I needed help,” says a California caller, who received logistical support and financial assistance. “This was already a high-stress situation, and it was a huge relief to feel supported.”

Since the Dobbs Supreme Court decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade, the organization’s work has grown in volume and complexity. ACCESS RJ helped 1,865 callers in 2023 alone, a 160% increase from the prior year, with 20% of their callers originating from out of state. Most of their callers are people of color, young, single, childless, and without an income. But while ACCESS RJ can fund most logistical needs, it currently can only partially fund the cost of important, necessary medical care.

“We operate under the Reproductive Justice framework, which is the human right to determine if, when, and how you become a parent,” says Jessica Pinckney Gil, executive director. People of color, low-income, and other marginalized communities are the least likely to have that right.

Prior to 2022, the organization had made only a handful of airfare bookings, but now with many states’ restrictive abortion laws, out-of-state callers, who are in need but have few options, rely on ACCESS RJ for not just airfare bookings but lodging assistance and transportation as well. The cases now take on ever more complexity.

“This is a critical time. We all saw what happened with the Dobbs decision and it didn’t end there,” says Daisy Prado, development and communications manager. “There is still a charge to try to erode reproductive justice and reproductive rights. Over half the states now have either a complete ban or a partial ban on abortion. That impacts us here as Californians.”

Beyond the direct services it funds, ACCESS RJ conducts regular policy and outreach work that educates policymakers in California and advocates for change.

“It’s really a marathon. It’s not a sprint in terms of rebuilding reproductive health care access in this country,” says Pinckney Gil. “Just as it took anti-abortion extremists decades to dismantle and pick away at Roe v. Wade, it will really take just as much time, if not more, to really rebuild it – and rebuild it in a way that ensures that abortion is accessible for all individuals who need it. For ACCESS RJ, we’re in it for the long haul.”