Founded in 1993, Abortion Fund of Ohio (AFO) supports community members to access their human right to abortion care through financial assistance, practical support, case management, and connections to other critical resources.
As Ohio’s only statewide abortion fund, we believe all people should have the agency and resources to make the best decisions for their bodies, lives, and futures. AFO operates a confidential helpline where our case managers provide compassionate and abortion-positive support to help people overcome both financial and logistical barriers and misinformation and stigma, moving funds directly to get people their abortion care. Beyond abortion funding, we also help youth navigate legal barriers to abortion care through our Judicial Bypass Program, distribute free sexual and reproductive health products, and provide community education on abortion and Reproductive Justice.
Following the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, Ohio has become a key access point for thousands of people seeking abortion care, particularly from states in the Midwest and Southeast with additional abortion bans and restrictions. While Ohio voters secured the right to abortion access in our state constitution in 2023, numerous barriers still prevent people—especially people of color, young people, and low-income individuals— from accessing care.
Since the overturn of Roe in 2022, AFO has supported more than 10,000 abortion seekers from half of U.S. states and 5 countries. In 2023, we pledged a record-breaking $1.4 million dollars to pay directly for abortions and wraparound costs.
The need for abortion funds existed long before the end of Roe. That’s why, for more than 30 years, AFO has served as a critical resource for abortion seekers in our community. By working directly with abortion seekers to overcome barriers to care, AFO has made abortion access a reality for thousands in Ohio and across the country.
To support AFO is to directly support reproductive freedom in our communities.
Since our founding, we have supported thousands of abortion seekers in Ohio, the Midwest and across the country, distributing millions of dollars directly for abortion care. Our Judicial Bypass Program stands as the only one of its kind in the state, offering minors safe and compassionate support to navigate legal barriers. In addition to direct support, we empower our communities through education and the distribution of free reproductive health supplies. Together, we’re building a world where all people can access the abortion and reproductive health care they deserve. Discover how your support makes a difference with our 2024 Impact Brief or our 2023 Impact Report.
The mission of Abortion Fund of Ohio is simple – to support the right of everyone to make their own reproductive decisions with love, compassion, and non-judgmental support in accordance with Reproductive Justice values.
Abortion Fund of Ohio strives to be a staff-centered, trauma-informed, safe, intersectional, loving, community building, service-driven, non-judgmental, and patient-centered resource for the people of Ohio. The people we are here to serve are people who might need help obtaining an abortion, particularly people of color, people who are poor and working class, disabled, trans and non-binary folks, and people of historically oppressed communities, and people lacking sufficient documentation for the immigration legal system.
Our purpose is to make real the non-negotiable human right for every Ohioan to determine whether, when, and how to create a family. We believe that people deserve uninhibited access to the rights, information, and resources to care for themselves and their families. We believe that Reproductive Justice is the pathway to realizing our goals.
We are resilient.
Before there was Abortion Fund of Ohio, there was Women Have Options – Ohio.
After Emily Rutherford, one of our founders & our first Executive Director, helped pay for her friend’s abortion, she wondered how many others wouldn’t be able to afford their abortion—or even knew that they had a right to one.
Emily envisioned a community group that would help people afford abortion through a network of community care. In 1992, Emily and a group of incredible, determined women officially founded Women Have Options – Ohio (WHO/O) out of church in Granville, Ohio. Within a year, WHO/O would band together with 21 other early abortion funds from 14 states to found the National Network of Abortion Funds.
For our 30th anniversary, in recognition of our founders’ vision to provide their communities with safe, affordable access to abortion, we updated our name to align with our values and the tenets of Reproductive Justice as outlined by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color leaders, SisterSong.
Our legacy name, Women Have Options, played a role in the erasure and silencing of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming Ohioans. Language has significant power, and simply put: women are not the only people needing abortions. We changed our name to better represent the full spectrum of patients we serve. AFO is committed to continual improvement, including adapting our language & practices to combat gender-based oppression.
At Abortion Fund of Ohio, we pride ourselves on providing the utmost transparency in all of our work. For an overview of our work and financials, check out our 2024 Impact Report. For a more detailed look, you can find links to our Form 990s and relevant AFO policies below.
Abortion Fund of Ohio is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and our EIN is 31-1357186.
Form 990s
Policies:
Organization Look-up: