Five Donations You Can Make to Support Reproductive Justice in Texas

Only one person can filibuster, and we’re really lucky that Senator Wendy Davis was willing to take up that challenge.

Distressingly, Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and their ilk aren’t likely to let one filibuster stop them from calling special sessions, soliciting bills, implementing regulations, and doing whatever it takes to score political points by restricting access to abortion and reproductive healthcare.

We’ve had an incredible week at the pink dome in Austin, but after midnight, we’ll all have to go home. We’ve got jobs, we’ve got families, we’ve got obligations. We can’t all become full-time activists for the cause.

We can all support the people who DO do this work day in, day out.

Here are five organizations you can support with your time and your money. These are the organizations that will move forward with our momentum and nurture our grassroots until the next time we all need to come together to rally.

1) Lilith Fund & Texas Equal Access Fund
No matter the outcome of the legislation being filibustered today, women across Texas will need help paying for abortions. Lilith Fund works closely with clinics to provide small grants that can help bridge the gap between the ephemeral right to choose abortion with the very real challenge of being able to pay the money to access the service. You can learn about and donate to Lilith Fund here. Update: H/t to Heather from NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, who pointed out that Texas Equal Access Fund does what Lilith Fund does for the northern half of Texas. You can learn about and donate to Texas Equal Access Fund here.

2) NARAL Pro-Choice Texas
NARAL’s team has been feeding, nurturing, and carefully tending to the grassroots all session long. The orange shirts? They first debuted orange as a pro-choice color back in May at their flash mob. Their small staff has been incredibly flexible, and made themselves available consistently to the activists who have needed support. You can learn about and donate to NARAL Pro-Choice Texas here.

3) Jane’s Due Process
Jane’s Due Process counsels teenagers with questions about abortion services in Texas, connecting them when necessary to pro bono legal counsel who can represent them if they opt to seek a judicial bypass waiver to get around the parental notification requirements for minors getting abortion in Texas. They also monitor policy and help make sure that bad cases at the lower court levels don’t become bad precedent at the state Supreme Court level. You can learn about and donate to Jane’s Due Process here.

4) Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast & PPGC Action Fund
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast has been around for over 75 years, providing critical medical services that represent a full range of reproductive health options, medically accurate and age-appropriate sex education, and advocacy for reproductive justice. PPGC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, while the Action Fund is a 501(c)(4)—the Action Fund can be more political than the (c)(3) organization. You can learn about and donate to PPGC here; to the PPGC Action fund here.

5) Annie’s List
Annie’s List is named for Dr. Annie Webb Blanton, the first woman elected to statewide office in Texas in her own right. They train and help finance pro-choice Democratic women running for office in Texas. You can learn about and donate to Annie’s List here.

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