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NAF Member Shares Stories of Providers, Patients in New Book

January 5, 2010

NAF member Carole Joffe has just published a new book, Dispatches from the Abortion Wars: The Costs of Fanaticism to Doctors, Patients, and the Rest of Us.

After thirty years embedded in reproductive-health research, Joffe relays compelling testimony from doctors, health care workers, and patients as they struggle against barriers that attempt to shame women and marginalize physicians, even within the medical community. Real-life stories include those of poverty-stricken rape victims scrambling—and sometimes failing—to cover the cost of abortions that should be covered by Medicaid; a doctor having to beg her superior for permission to perform in-hospital an abortion too complicated to handle at a clinic; and a woman whose miscarriage caused septic shock, and was refused care and bundled off to another hospital.

Some of the real-life stories come from Joffe’s observations of the NAF Hotline.

>Read more about the book.

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NAF

The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers. We unite, represent, serve, and support abortion providers in delivering patient-centered, evidence-based care.

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@NatAbortionFed on Twitter
NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
13h 1526667298747973632

Join us for a call TOMORROW with @LorettaJRoss:

Banning Abortion as White Supremacy
Wed, May 18 5pm ET
Abortion bans are rooted in harming and controlling people of color. Learn how bans are part of the white supremacist opposition to social equality: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8607106088117952270

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
16h 1526621980312469504

Proud to partner with @NCJW to raise much needed funds that will go directly to helping patients across the country access the abortion care they need.

Image for twitter card

J. The Jewish News of Northern California on Twitter

“In the 1920s, the @NCJW helped establish the nation's first birth control clinics. Now, with the right to a...

twitter.com

J. The Jewish News of Northern California@jewishsf

In the 1920s, the @NCJW helped establish the nation's first birth control clinics. Now, with the right to abortion under threat, the group is partnering with the @NatAbortionFed to raise funds for people who need help to end pregnancies.

https://jweekly.com/2022/05/17/national-council-of-jewish-women-creates-jewish-abortion-fund/?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=JTAncjw-05-17-22-tw

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
12 May 1524790234273095684

“We will do everything within the letter of the law to get the patients to where they can go to receive that care,” - Dalton Johnson, NAF Board member and @ALWomensCenter CEO

Read how abortion providers are planning for the future.

Image for twitter card

Alabama abortion clinic patients face an uncertain future

The failure of a bill to codify abortion rights could mean a complete shutdown for abortion clinics in Alabama.

bit.ly

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
11 May 1524491074240081920

While the U.S. moves backward, Canada is working to support abortion access!

While the U.S. moves backward, Canada is working to support abortion access!
Julie Dzerowicz@JulieDzerowicz

Sexual and reproductive health is an essential part of healthcare – including access to safe and stigma-free abortion care.

Minister @jyduclos and Minister @MarciIen announced $3.5M for two new projects to @actioncanadashr and @NatAbortionFed.

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
11 May 1524438980350996480

To help people access abortion, "we need to be just as robust and creative as abortion opponents have been with some of these abortion restrictions..." - Melissa Fowler, NAF Chief Program Officer.

Read how 'haven' states can support abortion access.

Image for twitter card

Blue states want to become abortion safe havens. It will cost them.

Groups that operate clinics and run abortion access funds warn that they’ll need more money, more providers an...

politi.co

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
10 May 1524027226471247875

If states continue to ban abortion, we expect a surge in patients who will travel to obtain abortion care. NAF’s Hotline connects patients with providers and helps with costs and travel.

If you need help finding an abortion provider call: 1-800-772-9100.

Image for twitter card

Even with Texas' strict abortion laws, some clinics have survived. Now, their time may soon be up.

About 22 states — including Texas — are poised to ban abortion if Roe is overturned,...

bit.ly

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
9 May 1523770596227616768

Abortion providers like NAF member Dalton Johnson know who will be most affected by abortion bans: “low-income patients and people of color already have to navigate a health care system that can be inattentive and discriminatory.” @ALWomensCenter https://nbcnews.to/3vUOzjd

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
9 May 1523689605656039428

"[Abortion providers] know what they're doing changes people's lives every day & they're willing to take this risk because they know what they're doing is so important." – Melissa Fowler, NAF Chief Program Officer
Harassment shouldn't be part of the job.

Image for twitter card

Abortion clinics are secured like fortresses. Advocates fear Roe ruling could spur new attacks.

Abortion clinics are reassessing security measures amid warnings from law enforcement that they may be targeted amid the pending Roe v. Wade ruling.

bit.ly

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
4 May 1521970980796522496

Abortion clinics across the country already face daily harassment and violence. The SCOTUS draft opinion will only further embolden those who want to prevent patients from getting essential abortion care.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/abortion-clinics-protests-security-rcna27270

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
4 May 1521924089698406401

“I will not stop providing care. I don’t think any of us will.” – NAF member Kathaleen Pittman from Hope Medical Group in Louisiana.

Abortion is still legal. Ahead of the Supreme Court’s final decision, our members across the U.S. are helping patients.

Image for twitter card

Rising Anxiety and Increased Demand at America’s Imperiled Abortion Clinics

On Tuesday, it was business as usual. But abortion providers, many of whom anticipated being shut down, worried ab...

nyti.ms

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
3 May 1521495361256316933

Abortion is still legal, and our Hotline is still active and providing financial and travel assistance. Along with our members, we will continue to help people across the country access care. If you need help finding an abortion provider, call the NAF Hotline: 1-800-772-9100.

Image for the Tweet beginning: Abortion is still legal, and
NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
22 Apr 1517537953211240448

Violence against clinic workers and individuals seeking abortions is often rooted in racism and white supremacy. Important piece by @MiQuelDavies in @RewireNewsGroup:

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Harassment at Abortion Clinics Is Already Bad. It’s Worse When You’re Black. - Rewire News Group

We need to explicitly name white supremacy and racism as the core drivers of abortion bans and restrictions, as well as violence and harassment.

rewirenewsgroup.com

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
13 Apr 1514274120589996032

"Every person in the US should have a vested interest in keeping women healthy and free, but clearly anti-abortion lawmakers and the citizens who vote for them prefer to keep women's lives small, constrained and controlled." @JillFilipovic in @CNNOpinion

Image for twitter card

Opinion: How the war on abortion rights is forcing companies to choose

Jill Filipovic writes that American companies should seriously consider how and if they want to do business in sta...

www.cnn.com

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
13 Apr 1514257853355155461

Amid all the news of abortion restrictions this week, we can't overlook this bit of good news from our members in Maryland who are EXPANDING abortion access in the state! 👏👏👏

Image for twitter card

PPMaryland on Twitter

“The Maryland General Assembly overrode Governor Hogan's veto on the Abortion Care Access Act! The most comprehe...

twitter.com

PPMaryland@PPMaryland

The Maryland General Assembly overrode Governor Hogan's veto on the Abortion Care Access Act! The most comprehensive abortion care legislation in the nation affirms that abortion is health care, health care is a human right, and rights mean nothing without access.

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
12 Apr 1513948764628680704

By now you probably know about the case in TX where a woman was wrongfully charged for self-managing her abortion care. Although her case was thankfully dropped, her story is the first of many to come.

Image for twitter card

Why was a Texas woman charged with murder over an abortion?

Texas prosecutors dropped their nonexistent case, but it will still have a chilling effect.

www.vox.com

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
12 Apr 1513921416390873091

Powerful op-ed @MonicaRSimpson! We must aim higher than Roe. “Roe never fully protected Black women-or poor women or so many others in this country...because Roe ensured the right to abortion without ensuring that people could actually get an abortion.”

Image for twitter card

Opinion | To Be Pro-Choice, You Must Have the Privilege of Having Choices

We must acknowledge the role that race plays in sexual and reproductive health outcomes in this country.

nyti.ms

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
11 Apr 1513497089447129094

NAF Member Renee Chelian from @NFPCenters underwent an illegal abortion 56 years ago and is speaking out about abortion bans: ‘No one should have to go through what I did.’ via @msnbc

Image for twitter card

Woman who underwent illegal abortion 56 years ago speaks out about Roe v. Wade challenges: ‘No one should have to go through what I did.’

Renee Chelian, Executive Director of Northland Family Planning Centers, joins Yasmin Vossoughian to discuss her experien...

www.msnbc.com

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
8 Apr 1512532013059772419

A new law in Spain would make harassing someone going into an abortion clinic a crime that can be punished with up to one year in prison.

Image for twitter card

Spain bans harassment of women entering abortion clinics

Spain is awaiting the publication in coming days of a new law banning the intimidation or harassment of women entering abortion clinics

abcnews.go.com

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
7 Apr 1512190121625354240

A "trigger" ban that would outlaw abortion in Nebraska if #RoeVWade is overturned was defeated today after legislators used a filibuster to derail the vote on the bill. #StopTheBans

Image for twitter card

Abortion rights backers block 'trigger' law in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Abortion rights proponents scored a surprising victory in Nebraska by derailing a bill that ...

apnews.com

NatAbortionFed avatarNAF@NatAbortionFed·
7 Apr 1512150158716260378

We are grateful to welcome a Supreme Court justice who is committed to upholding our fundamental rights to equal protection, dignity, and privacy.

This is more important than ever as we head towards a monumental ruling in the #JWHO case that could weaken or overturn #RoeVWade

We are grateful to welcome a Supreme Court justice who is committed to upholding our fundamental rights to equal protection, dignity, and privacy. 

This is more important than ever as we head towards a monumental ruling in the #JWHO case that could weaken or overturn #RoeVWade
Alliance for Justice@AFJustice

"Today, we celebrate this historic moment, but tomorrow we resume the fight to protect our democracy." - @BrooksRakim #JusticeKBJ https://www.afj.org/article/justice-ketanji-brown-jackson-will-be-a-justice-for-all/