Alabama abortion fund operating again after lawsuit clears threats
Two-year legal battle ends with the Yellowhammer Fund once again being a resource for Alabama women to get help paying for abortions.
The Yellowhammer Fund, which provides financial support to Alabamians who need abortions, is once again operating after a judge ruled it can not be prosecuted for violating the state’s abortion ban when it helps women travel elsewhere to get the care they need.
The fund assists with travel costs, lodging, and other expenses for people seeking abortions out of state. They also provide family justice services like baby boxes and crisis management. It was on a two-year pause as a lawsuit played out in Alabama over whether the state’s attorney general could prosecute people who help women get abortions out of state.
At the end of March, a federal judge ruled that Alabama’s Attorney General can’t prosecute or sue abortion funds for helping women in the state get abortions elsewhere. Tia Freeman, the organization's spokeswoman, spoke to me about the development.
“Finally being able to have that decision, and it had been so long awaited, and knowing that we can finally start to support our community in totality again, felt really exciting,” Freeman said.
The Attorney General’s threats specifically targeted helpers like the Yellowhammer Fund, an organization that seeks to resume providing 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 the Lawyering Project’s description of the case.
Other challenges remain. The organization faces legislative threats, including a bill (HB 611) that could criminalize abortion medication.
“They're not just attacking organizations like Aid Access and Plan C,” Freeman said. “They're also attacking tech companies. They're attacking any metric, like monetary and financing companies, any way people can pay for them.”
Freeman emphasized the need for continued advocacy and support.
“While we are ecstatic that we're able to resume abortion funding, this is a small victory on a road that has been very tumultuous,” Freeman said. “Abortion is still banned in the state of Alabama. So while it's helpful that people can get care, this won't be accessible to everyone.”