The Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund Provides financial assistance to women who need abortions and otherwise would not be able to afford them.

Everyday in Massachusetts, women in our own communities face barriers to abortion services. These women are our mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

These are just a few of their stories:

• "Marisol," a full time waitress who was 8 weeks pregnant, did not have health insurance, did not qualify for government funding, and could not ask her family or friends for the money;

• "Kate" who had just left her abusive husband and was living in a women's shelter on the Cape with her two-year old;

• "Anjali" who suddenly found herself single and without a second source of income to support her children. She could not find a provider who accepted Medicaid and performed second trimester procedures.

The EMA Fund provided assistance to these women and many others to ensure that they could make the decision that was right for them.

If you are in need of financial assistance:

• You must have an appointment for an abortion before calling the EMA Fund.

• When you leave a message for the EMA Fund, someone will return your call within 48 hours. We do not leave messages unless you indicate that it is okay to do so.

• When an EMA Fund volunteer returns your call, she will ask you a number of questions to assess your situation, including medical, financial, and general information. Your name will be kept strictly confidential.

• We rarely cover the entire cost of a procedure. We will work with the clinic or doctor to reduce their fees, and will work with you to figure out how much you can contribute. We do consider transportation, child care and related medical costs when determining the total cost of the procedure.

• If we grant you money toward your abortion, we will pay the clinic directly. We cannot reimburse individuals.

• We do not expect you to pay us back. However, if you ever have money that you would like to send us, your contribution will be tax deductible, and your entire donation will go to helping other women.