On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court issued a majority opinion effectively overturning Roe v. Wade and ending federal protections for abortion rights in America. 

Statement from Odile Schalit, Executive Director of the Brigid Alliance:

“Since we launched the Brigid Alliance in 2018, our mandate has been to get people to their abortions — and that’s what we will continue to do,” said Odile Schalit, executive director of the Brigid Alliance. “With the dissolution of federal protections for abortion rights, we anticipate a massive surge in requests for travel, food, lodging and child care support as more abortion seekers than ever before will now be forced to travel long distances to access essential health care. The truth is, it will be impossible to help everyone who deserves our support—and some people will be forced to carry out unsafe pregnancies—but we and our partners are poised to scale and will do everything in our power to help abortion seekers navigate the devastating obstacles they face.” 

On average, the clients the Brigid Alliance helps get to their abortions travel 1,200 miles to reach their appointments; and the organization spends $1,000 or more in support for travel, food, lodging, child care, and more to ensure clients get there. The organization anticipates that these figures will increase dramatically as more states enact severe restrictions or outright bans on abortion. 

“Over the last four years we’ve helped more than 2,600 people get to their abortions,” Schalit said. “The implementation of SB8, Texas’ six-week ban on abortion, set off a nationwide wave of disruption and in the time since that ban has taken effect, requests for our support has increased 900%. We expect the number of people and families who need our support each month to quickly reach the thousands.”

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The Brigid Alliance supports people who must travel long distances for abortion care. Working across the United States, we arrange and fund confidential travel, lodging, childcare, and logistical assistance, closing the gap between the need for an abortion and the ability to access one. We prioritize clients beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy for whom it’s generally more expensive and harder to find a provider near home.