History
The 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, promised access to safe, legal abortions for American women. This promise was broken for poor women in Pennsylvania when the federal government cut Medicaid matching funds for abortions in 1977 and when the state legislature followed suit in 1985. Since then, those least able to afford the cost of an abortion must either continue the pregnancy to term; or cobble together the fee, often risking the health and safety of themselves and their families.
The Women's Medical Fund was formed by women's health activists in 1985 in response to this crisis in reproductive freedom for low-income women and teens. Since its inception in 1985, the Women's Medical Fund has ensured the right to choose for almost 12,000 poor women and teens by disbursing over $1,600,000 in financial assistance.