Alabama abortion fund files lawsuit against AG
Alabama's chief law enforcement officer threatened funds with prosecution if they helped abortion seekers
Lawyers for an Alabama abortion fund filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s attorney general threat to prosecute people who help women there leave the state for abortion care.
Attorney General Steve Marshall’s threats specifically target helpers like the Yellowhammer Fund, an organization that provides funding and practical support to pregnant Alabamians who are forced to leave their home state and often travel hundreds of miles to access legal abortion care, according to a news release from the group. Yellowhammer deputy director Kelsea McLain explained the reasoning behind the lawsuit.
“This lawsuit is very much us pushing back for our First Amendment right to advocate on behalf of abortion seekers in the legal way that we know we can,” she said.
The need for abortion funding and support has only increased since the fall of Roe, particularly in Alabama. Abortion is banned in Alabama. The state has the third highest maternal mortality rate in the country, and Alabama is the sixth poorest state in the country. In 2021, nearly two thousand people traveled out of state to obtain needed abortion care. These burdens fall most heavily on Black people and communities of color, people who also face a heightened risk of criminalization.
The Lawyering Project, a Brooklyn-based organization that fights for abortion access, is paying for the legal challenge. The Southern Poverty Law Center is also involved in the litigation on behalf of the plaintiffs.
“It was always understood that this would be temporary,” McLain said. “We were always going to fight to reopen that abortion fund and we're just very excited that we have the legal expertise on our side to help us make that argument and fight that fight for us.”
The Yellowhammer Fund hasn’t been able to raise funds since the Dobbs decision. But they anticipate being up and running again after the legal challenge plays out. To donate, visit their website.
McLain said supporting abortion funds means more than just donating though.
“We're fighting for more than just our right to fund,” she said. “We're fighting for our right to advise, our right to refer, and our right to advocate for abortion seekers.”