But more than a year later, the rush of giving has slowed, just as the need for funding of reproductive rights groups is rising, activists say.Women’s Health Organization
ruling], it fueled a surge of passion and emotion across the country, and that included the entertainment industry,” says Sarah Moeller, The Brigid Alliance’s senior director of external relations. “Now, the momentum has dropped off. There are so many things challenging our society right now. It’s hard to sustain people’s attention when there’s a new disaster every day.”
In July 2022, some 600 new donors gave to Physicians for Reproductive Health, setting a record for the doctors organization; this July, the group had 200 new donors, raising less than a third of what it had during the same month last year. “The energy has died down, which is challenging and disappointing because the need for our work is just as much, if not worse,” says PRH senior director of engagement Sara Kirkwood.
Nearly 22 million women of reproductive age live in states where abortion is unavailable or severely restricted, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization devoted to reproductive rights. “Abortion funds are fielding more calls and assisting more people than ever before as people navigate increasing and unnecessary barriers to abortion access,” says National Network of Abortion Funds executive director Oriaku Njoku.
From left: Harry Styles, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Maggie Rogers have all helped fund abortion rights groups post-Dave J Hogan/Getty Images; Rob Kim/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival; Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images