It is difficult to believe that it has been more than two months since the Supreme Court decision was released, overturning Roe vs. Wade – and forty-nine years of legal precedent. The landscape is changing fast – and it can be hard to keep up. Here is a look at how things have changed at the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire since.
Funding
RFFNH is excited to announce that, in preparation of the decision and thanks to the generous donations of our community members, we have expanded our funding to include patients traveling to New Hampshire for their care. Before the decision was released, our funding had been limited to patients living in New Hampshire. We want our community to know that we stand in strong in our belief that borders are arbitrary and everyone is deserving of the abortion care that they need, regardless of the state that they happen to live in.
Practical Support
Accomodation
In addition to expanding our funding, RFFNH is excited to announce that we are now booking hotel rooms for patients. Hotel rooms can be used to support patients who are self-managing their abortions, patients who are traveling for their care, and patients who need a private and safe place to pass their pregnancies.
Transportation
While our network of volunteer drivers precedes the SCOTUS decision, our team has been working hard to expand it – training and vetting volunteer drivers – to cover more of New Hampshire and ensure we can find a ride for every patient in need.
Emergency contraception
In addition to accommodation and the expansion of our funding and volunteer driver network, RFFNH is now distributing free Plan B One-Step across New Hampshire. We will soon release info on all the locations we are currently stocking it in.
Staffing
In order to meet the moment, RFFNH has hired two new staff members:
- Alissandra Rodriguez-Murray (they/them/theirs), a co-founder who has served as a board member and the Creative Director of RFFNH since 2019, will be starting full-time at RFFNH this fall. In addition to directing our creative efforts, Ali will be helping to solidify our organization by establishing internal processes, refreshing our branding, and increasing our connection to underserved communities in urban areas.
- Autumn Houle (she/her/hers), who graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies and her Bachelor of Science in Social Work, started with RFFNH as an intern. Upon graduation from the University of New Hampshire in May of 2022, Autumn started as a full-time staff member, managing our hotline and its team of volunteers, in addition to supporting our organizing and outreach efforts.
Looking to the future
RFFNH is in the process of training a group of volunteer abortion doulas. Abortion doulas are non medical professionals trained to provide emotional and logisitical support to clients before, during, and after an abortion. We hope to offer this soon, as many of our patients have expressed a need for this kind of support. In addition to that, we are taking steps to collaborate with other abortions funds across New England create an interstate volunteer driver network.
Conclusion
As exciting as all of these changes are, we know that they would not have been possible without the support of our community. Many of you have donated and many of you have asked how you can help. While one time donations are appreciated and needed, it is long-term, sustained support that will allow us to continue to expand our funding and services. Thank you all for helping us make this incredible expansion possible!