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In most cases, unless a woman is wanting to be pregnant, she doesn’t take a pregnancy test within six weeks of a sexual encounter. But that’s all a woman gets now in Texas – six weeks to abort. That number is very misleading, as CNN points out. Doctors consider pregnancy to begin at six weeks after the first day of the last period. So for many women, the number is cut down to nearly just five weeks. Then there’s the reality that getting an appointment for an abortion is not always easy. One might need to start looking for one at least two weeks in advance. So a woman would need to know she was pregnant at four weeks, perhaps, to get an appointment by six weeks. Again: in most cases, the only women taking pregnancy tests within four weeks of a sexual encounter are those trying to become pregnant. So, it’s a catch-22 and an ugly one at that.
The six-week grace period was a token gift from pro-life politicians who knew damn well they might as well have banned abortions entirely because that’s what this six-week policy effectively does. It makes it nearly impossible for a women to discover she is pregnant in time to get an abortion. There is the option to go to another state – which the Texas Tribune points out is happening – but that option is only available to those who can afford it. Many women are terrified and out of options and their only hope is outside help. So if you’d like to be that help, below are organizations you can donate to that provide funding and assistance to women needing abortions.
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The Afiya Center
The Afiya Center is run by Black women and focuses specifically on raising awareness of and addressing sexual and reproductive health issues that Black women are at a higher risk for such as HIV and maternal mortality. The organization was founded by health educator and professional speaker Marsha Jones who has been an activist for Black women’s sexual health and reproductive rights for years. Donations to The Afiya Center support their programs that assist Black women living with HIV/AIDS as well as help women gain access to abortions. They also organize Texas’s First Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Policy Summit, which work to raise awareness of reproductive and sexual health issues facing Black women.
