Whole Woman’s Health Alliance (WWHA)

WWHA partners with other pro-abortion organizations to advocate for abortion access, including Abortion Care Network, the National Abortion Federation, the Society of Family Planning, and SisterSong. ² In 2022, its donors included American Endowment Foundation,  Abortion Care Network, National Institute for Reproductive Health, Hopewell Fund, Network for Good, and Open Society Institute. ^{3 4}

Background

Whole Woman’s Health Alliance (WWHA) was founded in 2014 by Amy Hagstrom Miller. ⁵ Miller founded Whole Woman’s Health in 2003 as a woman-owned group of abortion clinics to provide abortions and other services, including abortion pills and contraceptives. She then founded WWHA as a nonprofit that provides abortions, but also focuses on education, abortion advocacy, and litigation. Whole Woman’s Health provides management services to WWHA. ¹ WWHA’s two nonprofit clinics are located in Bloomington, Minnesota and Charlottesville, Virginia. ⁶ According to its Facebook post, WWHA planned to open a new clinic in the summer of 2024. ⁷

With the reversal of Roe v. Wade several states strongly restricted abortions, and abortion clinics were closed, including the Whole Woman’s Health clinic in Austin, Texas. The abortion clinic in South Bend, Indiana opened and closed periodically throughout 2022 as litigation progressed. ⁸ In June 2023, WWHA announced the closure of its South Bend clinic due to Indiana’s “near-total ban on abortions.” WWHA was Indiana’s only abortion provider and had performed over 1,100 abortions since 2019. ⁹ Antonio Marchi, executive director of Right to Life Michiana, refers to the 1,100 abortions as “1,100 children who are not alive today because of abortions performed at WWHA of South Bend.” ¹⁰

Programs

Whole Woman’s Health Alliance services include walk-in pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, medication abortions, abortion pills delivered through the mail, and in-clinic abortions. ¹¹

The Wayfinder Program provides phone support to individuals looking for an abortion on a national level, scheduling in-clinic or virtual care appointments, and connecting people with resources to help cover the cost of care and travel, if needed. ¹²

The Abortion 101 Program was created for activists, state legislators, media, and medical professionals as a way to discuss unplanned pregnancies and learn how to advocate for abortions. ¹

Activism

In 2022, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance joined 150 pro-abortion organizations on the Liberate Abortion campaign to advocate for abortion care for Black, Indigenous, and people of color. It was actively involved at conferences held by the Abortion Care Network, the National Abortion Federation, the Society of Family Planning, and SisterSong. ²

Following the Roe v. Wade decision, Miller appeared on the “Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC to discuss the impact of the decision and the future of abortion access. She then gave interviews on several news outlets. ¹³

In Minnesota, WWHA attends the Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day at the state capital and participates in the Get Out the Vote campaign on National Voter Registration Day each year. ¹⁴ WWHA partners with National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) on abortion advocacy measures in Minnesota to increase Medicaid reimbursement and obtain public funding for abortion. ¹⁵

Litigation

Whole Woman’s Health Alliance partners with attorneys at the Center For Reproductive Rights and the Lawyering Project to keep its clinics open and continue to perform abortions. ¹⁶

In May 2023, WWHA joined other abortion clinics in suing the United States Food and Drug Administration to allow medical abortions using the two-day drug regimen of mifepristone then misoprostol. ¹⁷ Whole Woman’s Health Virtual Care program has provided 4,100 patients medical abortion pills by mail since 2021. ¹⁸

Funding

Whole Woman’s Health Alliance’s 2022 revenues totaled $4,897,306 and expenses were $5,132,718. Contributions and revenue from abortion services made up the income. ¹⁹

Women’s Health magazine published a list of 14 abortion funds to support in the aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson. The WWHA Stigma Relief Fund is included on the list. ²⁰

Donors to WWHA in 2022 included American Endowment Foundation, New River Abortion Access Fund, Abortion Care Network, NIRH, Hopewell Fund, Network for Good, and Open Society Institute. ^{3 4}

The Stigma Relief Fund was founded by WWHA to provide financial support to patients receiving abortions at its clinics. ²¹ It is part of the National Network of Abortion Funds, a network of 100 independent abortion funds. ^{22 23}

Leadership

Amy Hagstrom Miller is founder, president, and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health Alliance and Whole Woman’s Health. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international, religious, and women’s studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hagstrom Miller started working in abortion provision and advocacy after college when she was 21 years old. She worked as executive administrator of two women’s medical centers before buying a clinic from a retiring doctor in 2003 to start Whole Woman’s Health. ^{24 25}

Sonja Miller is managing director of WWHA. She began her career in the education system as a teacher and a principal. She moved on to become a self-employed leadership consultant, then a financial advisor. In 2015, she joined the Texas Freedom Network for almost seven years then joined Whole Woman’s Health. In 2022, she became managing director. ²⁶