We hope these stories help illustrate the assistance that EMA provides. Many erroneously believe that women on Medicaid are taken care of, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. If Medicaid paid for an abortion, it would only do so in cases of rape, incest and threat to maternal life. In Florida, however, Medicaid doesn’t cover these circumstances even though they are supposed to, according to the Hyde Amendment. The Medicaid reimbursement is so minimal that no abortion providers are Medicaid providers. This means that the women have no means of getting assistance on abortion through Medicaid which makes reproductive choice an empty promise.

There are no government programs to help women seeking abortions and very few private foundations find abortion to be an issue they feel good about funding, so grants to EMA are always few and far between.

• D.Y. is 22 and single. This woman is very mentally challenged. Her pregnancy is from a reported rape. Her father sought a judge’s order for the abortion but doesn’t have any money to pay for the procedure
   
• T.D. is 22 weeks pregnant with twins. Her boyfriend left her when he found out she was pregnant. She has been cleaning houses to help pay for the termination since she does not have regular employment.
   
• C.Y. is 13 and was raped by her mother’s live-in boyfriend. The boyfriend is in jail and the mother has 4 other children as well as C.Y. The boyfriend was sole support of all.  C.Y. is 24 weeks along.
   
• M.K. is 16 and has an 8 month old.  She just found out the child she is carrying has sever anomalies.  She has no money and no job.
  
  
• D.Y. is 20, single with one child, a very sick one-year-old baby. She is unable to work because she stays home to take care of her special needs baby. Her supportive boyfriend works at McDonald’s. They can barely afford the rent, and there is no room for another child. They are in fact being evicted from their apartment.
   
• F.M. is 20. She is a newlywed and the pregnancy was planned. The fetus shows severe anomalies. The couple really want the baby but as the pregnancy progresses they keep discovering new problems. F.M’s afraid they wouldn’t be able to handle it emotionally or financially since she is currently unemployed. F.M. and her husband made the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy but discovered they were unable to afford the procedure.
   
• B.F. is 36 and single. She is homeless and unemployed. She was raped and referred to the Florida Funds by a Domestic Violence Hotline.
   
• D.J. is 42, a married undocumented migrant. The fetus has severe anomalies – clubbed hands and feet, mal-positioned heart and a sealed mouth. D.J. is unable to pay for the costly procedure.
   
• F.S. is 31, single with 3 children. She lives north of Palm Beach County. She was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma and has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She is diabetic and overweight. She was on Depo Provera but the doctor failed to tell her the cancer treatments might negate her birth control. When she found out she was pregnant, she was 23 weeks. She was very afraid the chemotherapy and radiation had damaged the fetus. She has been unable to work because of her cancer and is attending college to get a nursing degree, and simply would be unable to afford another child, especially with special needs. She borrowed $100 from her aunt plus money to travel three days in a row.
   
• J.J. is 23 and pregnant. She has 3 children under the age of 3. She suffered severe heart damage during her last pregnancy with twins because of a lack of prenatal care. J.J. is on public assistance and cannot work because of her high-risk heart condition. Her cardiologist has told her that her heart is already showing signs of strain from the pregnancy at 8 weeks, and if she continued with it, she would most likely die. J.J. survived the abortion and has made an appointment to have a tubal ligation.
   
• In her own words, an EMA fund recipient writes: “I’m not sure there’s enough room on this page to express my gratitude for this center, its staff (Presidential Women’s Center) and this Fund (EMA). This has been the most stressful week of my life. The emotional struggle was difficult enough, but when I was faced with the financial aspect, it was more than I could bear. You already feel like you have to keep it a secret from friends and family, so who do you turn to for emotional support? And then you’re supposed to ask them to help with a procedure that they don’t approve of? Some people are lucky, I guess, and have that support, but I am definitely NOT one of them. When I called Ellen, I was preparing myself for the most difficult decision. I knew I didn’t have the money to have the procedure, but I didn’t have the money or resources to properly raise another baby either. When she told me there was help, I burst into tears. I could not believe that there were really people out there who understood and were willing to help. I was so emotional because I don’t think people realize that no matter how small the gesture, it could mean the world to the person receiving it. And that is exactly what it means to me. This Fund has made it possible for me to continue to try and provide the best life I can to my 7-month-old and not have to deal with the burden of raising another baby when you aren’t ready. From the bottom of my heart and soul, THANK YOU, EMA!!”
   
• T.S. is 39, single with 2 children and pregnant. She is homeless. She is a victim of domestic violence and, as a result, has a broken wrist which needs surgery. Doctors won’t do the surgery because of her pregnancy.
   

• In her own words, an EMA fund recipient writes: “I am a 17-year-old mom of an 8-month-old baby. I dropped out of school and am currently going back but the baby I’m pregnant with will be hindering what I’m trying to accomplish in this trying time of my life. My mom already has a 1-year-old also and it is hard at home for us, being on welfare and depending on the State. I think, well, I’m grateful for your donations because it will help me get into school full-time, have more time for my baby, and let me see my future more better. Thank you, EMA, you are greatly appreciated.”
   
• J.F. is 28 and single. She is a crack cocaine addict, is homeless and suffers from mental issues. She has attempted suicide in the past and suffers from severe depression. She lives on and off with friends, doesn’t work and has no money.
   
• J.D. is a 13-year-old single immigrant still in school. She has no money and cannot take care of a child, being merely a child herself. She is planning on finishing her education. The girl has only her father and brother in this country on minimal wage.
   

• EMA helped Maria (not her real name), a single, 20-year-old young woman who has struggled to pull herself out of dire poverty. Maria has two children ages 1 and 5, so she had her first child when she was only 15 which has greatly hindered her ability to be successful. Her youngest baby was born with severe birth defects and is in a hospital awaiting another surgery. Maria works full-time as a manual laborer, has a 3rd grade education, no health insurance and makes $1128 per month. Her limited income and the baby's surgeries have stretched her finances to the point where she has difficulty supplying the basic necessities of life for her family. Because of these circumstances she made the difficult decision to terminate her pregnancy at 11 weeks. She was able to borrow most of the money from relatives to have the abortion, but was still short a nominal amount that would have prevented her from having the procedure. EMA made up the difference.
  
  
• EMA helped Susan (not her real name), 32, a recent divorcee with a 6 year old, who just left a highly-abusive and violent relationship with her then-boyfriend to live temporarily with her parents. She was duped into her pregnancy by her abuser, who intentionally removed a condom during intercourse without her knowledge, and certainly, without her consent. His goal was to make her stay with him in his home. A former office worker, recently laid off and uninsured, Susan and her young child are now homeless, receiving food stamps, and in the process of applying for Medicaid. With funding from EMA, Susan was able to terminate her pregnancy at 15 weeks, being totally unable to provide both emotionally and financially for another child..
   
• S.J. is 36, divorced with 4 children, the youngest of whom is 18 months and lives with her. She doesn’t currently have a place to live and has no money. She and her youngest are living out of a car and she has problems providing enough food for the baby. Her ex-husband refuses to help her out and won’t let her see her other 3 children without getting sex. She’s adamant she can’t have another baby and has threatened to kill herself if forced to.
   
• P.L. is 30, separated from her husband who was cheating on her and from whom she contracted an STD.  She has four children. She was working as a caregiver until her client passed away. She and her children have been living in her sister-in-law’s garage and are treated badly by her. P.L. is unable to work as she is too sick from the pregnancy. The only person she could trust and depend on was her mother, who passed away recently. She wants to end her life because she feels so helpless and hopeless.

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