SAN ANTONIO – It’s a grassroots effort growing across the nation: abortion funds. Abortion funds rely solely on donations and provide on-the-ground resources for abortion seekers needing direct funding or covering other expenses. They are most common among local or regional organizations as federal law does not require medical plans to cover services, and states, including Texas, have passed laws to limit abortion access.
In San Antonio, a young woman is helping fund abortions through her organization Buckle Bunnies Fund. Founder Makayla Montoya-Frazier said the monetary support has spiked following the disclosure of a draft decision by the Supreme Court. The document obtained by Politico shows a majority of justices would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that created a constitutional right to abortion.
Buckle Bunnies Fund has managed to raise more than $8,000 in the last week, according to Montoya-Frazier.
“Big organizations like Planned Parenthood, with that (donation) money, it’s dispersed among staffing just nationally,” Montoya-Frazier said. “If you’re donating to Buckle Bunnies… people you know who are your neighbors or your cousin stuff are benefiting from us. (The donations are) being used to help people access abortion out of state if that’s what they choose to do (and) to help people with their airfare, with child care, with rides.”
The San Antonio-based abortion fund was established in April of 2020 in response to SB 8. SB 8 went into effect in September of 2021 to limit abortions with almost no exceptions after six weeks of pregnancy.
“During SB 8, we raised over, I think it was almost $100,000. So, I know that (support is) just going to keep growing, and people are going to be more emboldened to talk about (the right to abortion),” Montoya-Frazier said.
An estimated 1700 people have benefitted from Buckle Bunnies Fund.
“Since the beginning, we’ve been able to raise and distribute a little over $250,000 to people in Texas that were needing direct support,” Montoya-Frazier said.
San Antonio is home to two abortion clinics however, many who have requested funds from Buckle Bunnies have needed to travel out of state.
“Before SB 8, it (cost) about $500, starting,” Montoya-Frazier said. “And now that we’re sending people out of state to places like New Mexico, we’re seeing it raise up to about $13,000. $15,000 is the highest that it’s gone, but that’s because people are getting abortions later because they don’t have a choice.” Factors like saving money, requesting time off work or finding child care can delay a person’s time for seeking an abortion.
“Some of them have to take their children with them,” Montoya-Frazier said. “So, yeah, we’re seeing all of these costs just add up to where it’s impossible.”
Which is where abortion funds like hers, play a key factor for abortion seekers.
“We help people with their airfare, with child care, with rides,” Montoya-Frazier said. “We’re spending money on gas. We’re spending money on food just so that people know that they are taken care of completely.”
Buckle Bunnies accepts donations year-round through their website and social media accounts.
“I hope that we keep getting money. I hope that we’re able to distribute, you know, preventative measures like plan B, pregnancy tests, condoms, lube, all the stuff that people deserve free access to but aren’t getting,” Montoya-Frazier said. “We hope that people, you know, normalize and start talking about abortion as a public good because so many people in our community are benefiting positively for the rest of their lives from their abortions.”
Buckle Bunnies also uses its social media to educate the community and abortion seekers on their legal rights. While to the extent it is permitted under SB 8 — abortion is still legal in Texas.
Other Texas-based Texas abortion mutual aid network include:
No opinion is final until it’s issued by the court. The court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.
You can see all 98 pages of the draft opinion here.