South Carolina abortion funds see big donations after Supreme Court leak. Here’s by how much
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Abortion in South Carolina
In a historial move, the Supreme Court of the U.S. has overturned landmark ruling Roe v. Wade. Read more about what that means for South Carolina abortion laws.
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Abortion funds that help South Carolina women pay for treatment have seen spikes in donations since the recent leak that the U.S. Supreme Court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, organizers say.
The Palmetto State Abortion Fund and the Carolina Abortion Fund, both of which serve South Carolina, both say donations spiked considerably in the days following the leak on Monday. The only other abortion fund that serves South Carolina, ARC-Southeast, did not respond by deadline of this article.
“The increase in donations and attention over the past 24 hours shows us that South Carolinians are not going to sit by while a conservative Supreme Court, and out of touch lawmakers, who are only pandering to their donors, attempt to strip away reproductive rights, Ashlyn Preaux, executive director for the Palmetto State Abortion Fund, said on Wednesday. “These donations will allow us to keep offering support and services for those seeking abortion care in our state.”
Curt Shumate, treasurer and finance director for Palmetto State, which is based in South Carolina, said while numbers weren’t finalized because money was still coming in, the fund had seen a jump in donations after the leak. Shumate said Palmetto State is a relatively new fund and raised $5,000 during its first month-long fundraiser in February.
“We raised more than that — $5,200 — just yesterday (Tuesday),” Shumate said. “And more is rolling in today (Wednesday) … I’ve not had a chance to catch it all up.”
Launched in December, Palmetto State is the only South Carolina-only-focused abortion fund and uses its money to help women pay for abortions, travel, lodging and any other abortion-related expenses.
“We are an all-volunteer team, so there is very little overhead,” Shumate said.
A statement from the Carolina Abortion Fund emailed to The State on Wednesday, also described large gains in donations since the leak.
The Carolina Abortion Fund serves North Carolina and South Carolina.
“Since the leaked draft opinion of a single SCOTUS judge hit social media, we have absolutely seen an increase in fundraising efforts as well as donations,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, several abortion funds across the nation were in the middle of a big annual fundraiser when news broke about the leak.
“So for context, April 29 we were about halfway through our goal of $50,000, at just under $35,000. On May 3, we saw over 400 donors and surpassed our goal in that single day alone, roughly $29,000,” the statement reads. “We are truly embedded in our community, so we do have monthly sustainers and consistent donors, but understandably we were blown away with the influx in one time donations we received.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 11:35 AM.
