The Missouri Abortion Fund held a fundraiser on Sept. 13 at Cafe Berlin to release their new public education campaign, in partnership with Right By You, another local abortion fund. 

The public awareness campaign’s goal is to educate Missourians about their contraceptive and abortion care options, which have been limited by the 2022 statewide abortion ban.

More information about the available services began rolling out following this event, especially to rural communities where contraceptive care is less accessible to residents.  

As of 2018, Missouri stands as 42nd in the nation for maternal mortality rates, and in rural areas, maternal mortality rates increase. The campaign helps to improve these numbers by connecting Missourians to safe, quality care at a significantly reduced cost. In the wake of the abortion ban, this can sometimes mean leaving the state for treatment.

Jess Lambrecht, the executive director, and Robin Friscella, the community engagement coordinator, the two-woman team who manages the Missouri Abortion Fund, spoke at the fundraiser. 

“The Missouri Abortion Fund started in 2016, and since then has funded more than 9,000 Missourians, where they travel across the country to get care,” Lambrecht said. “Over the past eight years, the fund has accumulated $1.8 million in donations. A million of that was from the last year alone.”

After a brief introduction to the Missouri Abortion Fund, Friscella revealed the community’s need for the public awareness campaign. 

“Our legislature allocates millions of dollars to provide misinformation, stigmatize, and dissuade folks from accessing abortion care,” Friscella said. “And so this work specifically is going to be the antithesis of that and to be able to advocate and educate and inform Missourians that they can still leave the state for care as well as find other resources here in state.” 

This campaign comes as a direct response to Missouri’s Alternatives to Abortion Campaign, which under the state budget proposed in July 2023, allocates $6 million dollars annually to the Department of Social Services to cover the campaign. From the state allocated funding, DSS signed a $266,000 contract with a Columbia-based, Choose Life Marketing, a Christian anti-abortion marketing firm to further encourage carrying pregnancies to term and discourage abortion. During this time, the abortion ban was already in place. 

An accessible resource available to care seekers is the Right By You text service available 6 days a week, that allows Missourians to text a confidential number to be connected with a local resource specialist who informs care seekers of their options for locating emergency contraception or accessing abortion care.

The Midwest Access Coalition, another abortion fund present at the fundraiser, also eases care coordination by providing free transportation, lodging, food and other expenses that come with traveling for treatment. This helps to ensure care seekers have the option to choose what care plan is best for them without financial restraints. 

“We really need help in spreading the word,” Friscella said, “Another campaign [Alternatives to Abortion Campaign] is getting a lot of money to do the exact opposite of what we are doing.” 

Friscella’s speech concluded with the Missouri Abortion Fund’s Slogan, “Fund Abortion, Build Power.”

To reach a resource specialist who can assist with scheduling contraceptive care, anyone can text 855-458-0886. This text line also provides locations of emergency contraceptive kits still legal in MO, which typically include two doses of Plan B, stickers, condoms, and pregnancy tests. For any additional questions and more resources visit https://abortionhelpmo.com. 

Edited by Sophia Anderson | sanderson@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Grace Knight and Natalie Kientzy