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March 10, 2011
'The Boehner Killers' Bowl for Abortion Dollars
M. Catharine Evans
During the month of April, 25 groups from the National Network of Abortion Funds will sponsor the second annual bowl-a-thon in their communities to offer direct financial support to women who want abortions but cannot pay for them.
The Network consists of 100 funds in 40 states, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Each year it raises $3 million and disperses the funds to over 21,000 women who would otherwise not be able to afford abortion services.
Donating to the cause are the writers at feministing.com, a community forum devoted to feminist issues. In their mission statement the editors state "that racism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and hate speech constitute anti-feminism and have no place on our site." Apparently unaware of the contradiction, they dubbed their bowling team "The Boehner Killers." Speaker of the House John Boehner opposes federal funding for abortions and this is a good enough reason for the uncivil activists to spout hate speech. They're keeping him in the crosshairs.
In a March 8 article, feministing writer Maya, one of "The Boehner Killers," asks for contributions and argues for the cause. Besides bowling for abortion dollars, Maya's personal political statement delves deep into the pro-choice, 21st century feminist psyche:
I had to pay for my abortion out-of-pocket.
Luckily, I had a modest but steady income. The out-of-pocket price of $400 for a first-trimester abortion was a big unexpected cost. But I could afford it. My boyfriend at the time contributed half. I cut back on take-out, downgraded to drinking 40s, and kept an eye on my balance for a few weeks. That was that.
[snip]
If I had needed an abortion a year earlier,...I wouldn't have had the money. But even then I could have called my parents... if my parents didn't happen to be supportive, middle-class, pro-choice folks, I could have still depended on at least half a dozen friends to pool together the funds.
This is all to say: I am a very privileged lady.
[snip]
But I know that the very first thing I did when I found out I was pregnant was check to make sure I had enough in my account to cover the cost of an abortion. In those initial moments of anxiety, holding two positive pregnancy tests and trying to figure out how to get unpregnant as soon as humanly possible, knowing I wouldn't have to scramble to come up with the money was an enormous relief.
As a "privileged" woman Maya wants to "pay it forward" for those poor women who live paycheck to paycheck unable to budget for an abortion. She contends that Republicans like Boehner force her indigent sisters to rely on bowling fundraisers as they work to make sure taxpayers' monies do not support "reproductive" services.
Read more M.Catharine Evans at www.potterwilliamsreport.com
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