WRRAP
raises money for low income women of all ages, ethnicities and cultural
backgrounds who are unable to pay for either emergency contraception or
a safe and legal abortion. Our services are provided free of charge to
clinics all over this nation. All clinics are State-of-the-Art and most
are members of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) or the National
Coalition of Abortion Providers (NCAP). Both organizations have high standards
for affiliation. The money is never asked to be repaid, nor do we judge
the woman or her situation... We just help her.
Only
17 states provide financial assistance to poor women seeking abortions;
14 of them do so under court order. Over 87% of the US counties do not
have services even though 34% of all women ages 15-44 live in those counties.
Over 31% of US metropolitan areas have no providers. 8 of 10 residency
programs don't require doctors to learn abortion procedures. What's more,
50% of chief residents have no clinical experience or training for a life-saving
abortion. A study conducted with 244 family practice residency programs
found most graduates receive little or no clinical training in reproductive
health care, including diaphragm fitting, or IUD insertion and removal.
Over 50% of unwanted pregnancies are the result of failed birth control.
Between 1994 and 2000 the overall abortion rate dropped by 11%. However,
the rate for poor women increased by 7%.
Since
1996 the number of providers has decreased by 11%. The ongoing harassment
of doctors, family planning administrators and medical students by anti-choice
zealots has taken a toll. Healthcare professionals who try to help are
being cut down by terrorists. With each year there are fewer doctors who
know how to help... fewer doctors who are WILLING to help and, unfortunately,
more women who NEED help..
WRRAP recently helped a mid-western woman who was married and expecting
a wanted baby. Her husband beat her and then left her with no resources.
These are her words: "You have given me more than money, you have
given me the power to start a new life on my own terms-I am grateful beyond
words for the miracle and transformation made possible by your generosity.
Know that today you have made an immeasurable difference."
The women we help are generally women who hold part time jobs, have
no health insurance, and many have to choose between spending $30 a month
on food for their children or buying birth control pills. They are victims
of domestic poverty, domestic violence, rape, incest, AIDS homelessness
or hopelessness.
WRRAP is run by volunteers and the money we raise is spent on helping
poor women with nowhere else to turn. More people need to know about us
and our work. How can you help? If you make a donation, that would be
wonderful. You can also help by hosting a gathering of friends, lending
your name to a mailing or advising foundations of our valuable work. Abortion
is not an easy choice. When a woman cannot afford an abortion, she cannot
exercise the full range of her reproductive rights.
WRRAP's
success is directly attributable to people like you. Our mothers, daughters,
aunts, sisters, nieces and cousins NEED your help. A woman's right to bear
children when she chooses; the right to determine her reproductive life,
and the right to have control over her own body depends on her ability to
pay..
To make a tax deductible donation send your check, made payable to WRRAP to the address above.
Shop 'til you drop on-line at the WRRAP mall. 15% of the profits from participating stores will help us provide safe and legal reproductive healthcare for low-income women across the nation.
If you would like to become a Guardian of Choice and make a monthly donation charged to your credit card, please call us at the above number and we'll be happy to set that up for you.
WRRAP was started and nurtured at the Los Angeles section of the National Council of Jewish Women.
WRRAP can now be reached here via email.