Blue Ridge Abortion Fund

Background

Blue Ridge Abortion Fund is a pro-abortion advocacy group that subsidizes abortions in Virginia. Over the course of its 30-year history, Blue Ridge Abortion Fund claims to have subsidized more than 7,500 abortions; more than 6,000 of these were funded between 2016 and 2021, showing a sharp increase in activity over these five years compared to its previous history. ¹

The group purportedly had its origins in a campaign sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW) to collect money in a pickle jar at a county fair for one woman’s abortion in 1989. This campaign was repeated and began to grow, and in 2009 the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund was established as a nonprofit to fund abortions for women who could not afford them. ²

Methodology

In some cases, Blue Ridge Abortion Fund only partially subsidizes the abortion, and women must come up with the rest of the cash themselves. The group’s website emphasizes that the abortion will be expensive, starting around $360 and increasing into the thousands as the pregnancy progresses through later terms. It also makes no inquiry into the financial status of its clients. ³

As of 2023, Blue Ridge had a very small staff of only five individuals. It added a dedicated Spanish-speaking employee in 2021 to more readily engage Hispanics. Nevertheless, only about 63 percent of its expenses in 2021 were spent on its mission; most of the rest went to employee salaries and benefits. Although most of its clients are from the Virginia area, Blue Ridge Abortion Fund also provides “solidarity funding” to pay for clients that need to travel from other states. Its “2021 Impact Report” stated that it subsidized abortions for women from 20 different states in the U.S. This aspect of its work has become more relevant following the 2022 United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson and the passage of legislation restricting abortion by several states such as Texas and Louisiana. ^{1 4}

Partnerships

Blue Ridge Abortion Fund is a member of the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF). It is also a sister organization of four other groups whose initiatives target the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia: the DC Abortion Fund, the Baltimore Abortion Fund (BAF), Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project (RRFP), and the Carolina Abortion Fund. ⁵ It is also a member, with left-of-center groups NOW Virginia, ProgressVA, Virginia Civic Engagement Table, and National Women’s Political Caucus of the Virginia Reproductive Equity Alliance. ⁶

Funding

In addition to soliciting private donations through its website, Blue Ridge Abortion hosts an annual “Fund-A-Thon” to raise money for its organization. The 2023 event had a goal of $50,000, with matching funds being provided by the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF).  Its Facebook page also encourages supporters to spend extra funds from their Health Savings Account (HAS) on emergency contraceptive drugs and donate these pills to Blue Ridge. ⁷ It was also the beneficiary of the CLAW (Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers) women’s arm-wrestling event. ⁸

People

As of 2023, Tannis Fuller was the executive director of Blue Ridge Abortion Fund. ⁹ Stephanie Nash is former co-executive director of Blue Ridge Abortion Fund and the advocacy director for the Virginia branch of the pro-abortion group Whole Woman’s Health Alliance. ¹⁰