Women’s Emergency Network

Background

Women’s Emergency Network is a pro-abortion organization that provides financial assistance to individuals seeking abortions or contraception. It partners with several abortion clinics in Florida that will perform abortions for pregnancies earlier than six weeks, and with clinics outside of Florida that will perform abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. ¹ It will provide financial assistance for travel to another state if required to obtain an abortion, contraceptive counseling, and other reproductive health services. It is part of the National Network of Abortion Funds. ²

Women’s Emergency Network was created as a result of the Hyde amendment passed by Congress in 1977 that prohibited federal funding for abortions and excluded abortion coverage from Medicaid. ³ It was the first abortion fund in South Florida, co-founded by Jeri Cohen and Lynn Meyer in 1989 through donations, fund-raising, and auctions. ⁴

Partnerships

Women’s Emergency Network partners with 13 Florida abortion clinics and 11 abortion clinics in Colorado, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Puerto Rico. Several are associated with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ¹

Women’s Emergency Network refers girls under 18 who are looking for an abortion through a judicial bypass to the Jane Network, a network of pro-abortion attorneys who also partner with the abortion groups Center For Reproductive Rights, ACLU of Florida, and Planned Parenthood. ^{1 5}

Activism

In June 2023, Women’s Emergency Network joined over 200 LGBT and allied organizations in opposing Target for rolling back its carrying transgender and Pride items for kids and demanding that Target show support for the LGBT community. The coalition demanded that Target reaffirm its commitment to the LGBT community and put Pride merchandise back in the stores. The statement was coordinated by the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the National LGBTQ Task Force, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Black Justice Coalition and was signed by more than 200 left-aligned activist organizations. ⁶

Women’s Emergency Network supports the Yes on 4 Florida campaign, a petition drive to get a constitutional amendment added to Florida’s 2024 ballot that would protect abortion access. The campaign is sponsored by Floridians Protecting Freedom, a group that supports the right to legal abortion, along with partner organizations ACLU of Florida, Florida Rising, Service Employees International Union 1199 Florida, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The group is working to obtain the 900,000 signatures required for the 2024 ballot measure. ^{7 8}

Funding

Women’s Emergency Network reports $458,658 in total revenues and $145,340 in expenses for 2023. ⁹

Its 2022 donors included National Network of Abortion Funds and Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. ¹⁰ Women’s Emergency Network is a grantee of the Women’s Fund Miami-Dade, a grantmaking organization focused on “addressing systemic barriers” for women and girls. ¹¹

Leadership

Kamila Przytula is executive director and board chair of Women’s Emergency Network. Przytula attended Boston University and received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and public health. She earned a master’s in epidemiology from the University of London. She began her career at Partners in Health and also worked for Planned Parenthood Federation of America for almost eight years. She became board chair of Women’s Emergency Network in July 2022 and executive director in July 2023. Her volunteer experience includes involvement in Ruth’s List Florida, a political organization working to build a “progressive Florida” by recruiting and supporting pro-abortion Democratic women to run for office. ¹²

Jeri Cohen co-founded Women’s Emergency Network in 1989. She earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1985 and was a judge for the state of Florida for 28 years, primarily in child abuse and dependency court. She re-joined the Women’s Emergency Network board in 2020 after retiring. ^{13 4}

Daniela Martins joined the Women’s Emergency Network board in November 2022. Previously she held positions with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Florida Democratic Party supporting Andrew Gillum’s campaign for Florida governor, Priorities USA, and the Women’s Equality Center. ¹⁴