The Yellowhammer Fund Saw Alabama's Abortion Ban Coming — And They're Not Done Fighting

On Tuesday, May 14, lawmakers in Alabama voted to approve Alabama Residence Bill 314, which would effectively ban abortion in the state by restricting doctors’s ability to perform the service and threatening them with felony sentences up to 99 years in prison. Governor Kay Ivey signed the bill on May 15. While the bill hasn't however gone into effect (and will almost definitely be challenged in court and blocked), people across the nation are rightfully worried about the fervor with which conservative lawmakers are pushing anti-choice laws by way of the courts, and what that could mean for Roe v. Wade.


moreover to voicing their dissent on social media, people have mobilized to support the groups working to protect reproductive rights across the nation. One such categorize is the Yellowhammer Fund, which works to help those without the means to fund their own appointments. Sports fans, politicians, and everyday people have all signal-boosted Yellowhammer's call and chipped in record amounts. Although in several ways, the fight is far from over.


MTV News talked with Helmi Henkin, a recent college graduate and the treasurer and vice president of public outreach at Yellowhammer Fund, who took the call while volunteering at one of the three abortion clinics in the state. Here, she talks about being on the frontlines in Alabama, how the Fund plans to use the donations, and why social media is helping change the narrative for one of the most stigmatized medical procedures.


MTV News: I want to begin by asking you about the Yellowhammer Fund’s current Twitter display name, because it says that it you could still get an abortion in Alabama (in all caps, no much less. Have you saw a lot of people who are worried they won't receive treatment?


Helmi Henkin: Oh, yeah. Each and every clinic has gotten calls of support from people around the nation, asking how they can assist or donate, or just thanking them for what they do. Nevertheless then there really are people who ask if abortion is still legal, asking if their appointments are canceled, because really there is a lot of misinformation about this bill and what the passage of it entails.


So it's critical to remember, recognize, and acknowledge that abortion is still legal in Alabama. This law will not go into effect for six months, and in those six months the ACLU and Suggested Parenthood have promised to sue, and the bill will most likely get blocked. There really is so much that people can do to promote abortion access in states all over the nation, because these kinds of trap laws are not a Alabama-specific problem.


MTV News: What can you tell me about the work you do with the Yellowhammer Fund?


Henkin: The Yellowhammer Fund was began by the West Alabama Clinic Defenders. Basically what we are here to do is to keep the clinics safe and open, and we walk people to and from their cars to protect them from harassment from the anti-choice protestors. We allocate emotional support to people some days because being screamed at is a understandably traumatic experience.


Abortion funding is our primary aim now however in general we operate from a reproductive justice lens. Reproductive justice is almost fueling the correct to bodily autonomy the if, whenever, why as well as how to parent by way of the lens of the intersectional oppressive systems that prevent people from completely exercising those rights. Our aim is to help people in Alabama conquer the various financial and logistical barriers that they face in attempting to access abortions, and then also attempting to dismantle those barriers, so we do a lot of fundraising and networking. There really are corporations all over the state and nation, and we build coalition with them.


We've also been funding people since January 1, 2018. Our funding has also been able to increase its scope to offer emergency contraception to people for free, and we are starting reproductive justice centers in response to crisis pregnancy centers, which mention they supply all this support to parents and pregnant people nevertheless don't. Our centers will distribute diapers, condoms, birth control, whichever supplies people need to lead healthy lives and raise healthy families.


MTV News: The near-total ban in Alabama was not determined opted for or signed overnight. What were some of the other obstacles you’ve faced while doing this work?


Henkin: It was not surprising at all this ban passed. The Pro-Life Coalition of Alabama has been talking about this ban for a long time and this is just one of several abortion restrictions that have been introduced.


Alabama already has a 48-hour waiting period and we only have three clinics left in the state. People have to come to the clinic, get the state-mandated counseling that is also targeted at dissuading them from having an abortion, go house and imagine it. Most people wait more than 48 hours; they can't just take countless days off work in a row, so that's two days that you've got to find reliable transportation, housing, child care, moreover to having to pay for the procedure often out of pocket because Medicaid isn't allowed to cover it, and most private insurances don't.


There's an outright attack on abortion access all over the nation and segment of this is due to anti-abortion groups and legislators feeling empowered by the Trump administration. They feel like they have a shot at getting these laws to create it to the Supreme Court and overturn Roe v. Wade. The sponsor in the Alabama Residence of Representatives who introduced HB-314 literally mentioned, "This isn't the correct bill for Alabama although we need it to prepare it to the Supreme Court." There really are already 14 other cases in the pipeline that could go to the Supreme Court and overturn Roe, nevertheless every state is in a race to be the first.


MTV News: Were you in any way surprised by reactions on social media against the bill, along with specifically in support of the fund?


Henkin: First and foremost, the support we've obtained both monetarily and through messages has been overwhelming and unprecedented. I think the support is also bringing awareness to people who maybe stay in states where they feel like abortion access is more protected, or they haven't really even had to think about the landscape of abortion access up until something like this happened.


This isn't the opening time that an abortion restriction has come up in Alabama since our fund has existed. In November, Alabama passed Amendment 2, which says if Roe is overturned, abortion will be fully banned without exceptions. Immediately after that, there was a uptick in funding, however this is a spike in fundraising like we have never, ever, ever seen before.


It's a possibility to lift up other abortion funds and reproductive justice companies all over the nation. The Gateway Women's Access fund in Missouri is going to require a whole lot of support, and in Georgia there has been a whole coalition of groups that are working against HB-481 for months, including nevertheless not limited to Sister Song, ARC Southeast, and URGE.


Solidarity is really key. We’re working in partnership with other funds to get somebody to their appointment and to get their procedure covered. It's a really pivotal moment for people wanting to get involved in the fight for abortion access in general.


MTV News: With regards to accessibility and resources, among other things, abortion is also a matter of these who can simply afford it. Llaws like this one can cement the barriers placed upon marginalized people in particular – including poor people, Black females, and other girls of color, who have historically rarely been able to even access abortion. How do you view this fight in terms of its intersectionality?


Henkin: This abortion ban and all abortion restrictions disproportionately impact low-income people of color, and Black people. And not only girls get abortions, which is something they're also attempting to bring into the mainstream conversation. As soon as people talk about women's rights, there really are these queer, trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary people who face just an additional set of barriers because of being left out of the conversation as well as due to the threat of violence that could prevent them going to clinics like this.


there really are a lot of people saying, anyone in Alabama should move if they can, and that's just a really irresponsible, ignorant, and privileged point of view have. Alternatively opposed to boycotting Alabama or boycotting other states where these bans arise, it's a much better use of time and energy to uplift the agencies that have been doing the work for years to help the people and communities most impacted by these abortion restrictions get the care and resources they require to prepare the ideal decisions for their lives, families, and communities.


It takes all of us, and I encourage people not to re-invent the wheel. Abortion funds have been around for ages and we're not going to go away. People can go to postroehandbook.Com, where [writer and activist] Robin Marty has this map with all of the reproductive justice-related companies. People can go to abortionfunds.Org/need-abortion and find their local fund, and I really encourage people to reach out to these agencies if they desire to get involved and visualize what sort of support they need.


MTV News: Does Yellowhammer know how you will use the influx of funds that have been raised in the past few days?


Henkin: We are 100 percent volunteer-led, so anyone donating can rest assured that their cash is going to go directly to helping people in Alabama access abortions. A lot of it is going to go toward our abortion funding and our practical support that we already do. We're also going to use some of it to open up and stock more reproductive justice centers. And we have other initiatives and assignments that we've dreamed about beginning and enacting nevertheless right now we potentially be able to prepare a reality.


Once Amendment 2 passed, I cried for two days straight, although I knew it was going to happen. I just was filled with so much aggravation and sadness for the people who it would impact the most, and fear about what would come next. I never wish to understate how tremendously horrid and harmful this ban is for the people of Alabama, nevertheless in the past day I have just been filled with so much gratitude and joy at the outpouring of support that we've gotten from people that believe in our ability to do good in the world.


MTV News: Each person I have been talking to has been just beaten down by the prospect of what's happening as well as what would be looming around the corner. Naturally folks are afraid of the repeal of Roe v. Wade, also it seems so hard to find those pockets of hope.


Henkin: I certainly agree and identify with these people who are feeling super tired from fighting this constant uphill battle. As soon as you're involved in abortion access in Alabama or these other exceedingly access-hostile states, there aren't also several wins, and you just gotta find the joy and the intent in the scenario you have.


there really are a lot of people who think, “Abortion is such a contentious distribute also it really shouldn't be discussed about,” or “Abortion should be legal although only in certain situations.” However in reality, abortion is a public good, and should be free, safe, and legal without apology so that more folks are able to physical training that right to bodily autonomy.


MTV News: Between the #YouKnowMe and #ShoutYourAbortion hashtags and social media broadly, it feels like a lot of folks are actively debunking propaganda against a medical procedure. They're also talking more openly about their experiences without stigma. How has it been to be able to see that shift in the cultural narrative surrounding reproductive autonomy?


Henkin: I think shifting the narrative is imperative in sort for us to fight and beat these restrictions. Each person loves someone who'd an abortion, and that's just facts. Statistically, one in four people who are able to be pregnant have had an abortion, so I think it's really powerful for people to share their stories.


It's also critical that people shouldn’t have to share a trauma to justify a medical procedure. Although with more people sharing their abortion story, it just pushes house the point that all people who have abortions deserve compassion and non-judgment. We visualize over and over and over again that the hardest thing about it is having to navigate these tremendous logistical and financial barriers. Stimulating this narrative that abortion is common I think also permits for increased give attention to these barriers and how these barriers are problematic.


MTV News: A lot of people also might not directly realize the extent to which reproductive freedoms are being attacked. In Ohio, lawmakers are attempting to conflate birth control with abortion. What should people know about accessing those very generic equipment for reproductive autonomy and freedom?


Henkin: Our fund provides emergency contraception for free by way of Powerhouse in Montgomery, by means of the Birmingham Free Store in Birmingham, and the clinic here in Tuscaloosa. We got a grant, so we have thousands of boxes of Plan B that we give to those who need or want it. We’re also attempting to raise awareness that we have those resources, and hoping to stock the reproductive justice centers with condoms and birth control. The Women's Center offers birth control for $6 a pack.


The spectrum of reproductive health care and reproductive rights goes far in back of abortion. Additionally to access to abortion, people should have access to birth control or have the ability to access OBGYNs. Half the counties in Alabama can't. We have a dire physician shortage in Alabama, and the state didn't expand Medicaid, so hospitals keep closing, especially in rural areas. Healthcare access overall is a reproductive justice distribute because these people need healthcare access to lead healthy lives and raise healthy families.


This interview has been edited for length.