Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal - CAF makes choice happen

In case you didn't pick up yesterday's Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Abortion Fund was on the front page!

Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal; Chicago Abortion Fund helps poor pay for services
35 years after Roe, group uses old spirit to get service for all

In Cook County, Stroger Hospital performs first-trimester abortions on a sliding-fee scale, but many women say they can't get through the red tape to obtain a timely appointment.

"Abortion is legal," said Gaylon Alcaraz, director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, "but low-income women still can't access it."

So, like the women of an earlier generation who ran underground networks to connect women with illegal abortion services, people like Ortiz and Alcaraz are doing what they can to help out.

Their fund provides vouchers that are accepted by local abortion providers. The woman whose daughter was in trouble got a $320 voucher to help pay for a second-trimester abortion that cost $770.

"We issued nine vouchers that day totaling $1,650," Ortiz said.

The Chicago Abortion Fund, founded in 1985 by a coalition of women's organizations, is one of 104 similar groups affiliated with the National Network of Abortion Funds.

Read the entire article online. And if you missed the hard copy, you missed some awesome photos. Hopefully I can scan them later this week.

And to support the Chicago Abortion Fund, shop at Women and Children First this month or head over to our website and donate.

Technorati tags: Blog for Choice, pro-choice, Roe v. Wade, abortion, reproductive justice