NNAF Glossary
NNAF & Abortion Fund Service Terms
Services offered by abortion funds in the NNAF network.
- All-Options Counseling: Confidential counseling to discuss pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion, and adoption.
- Caller Follow-Up: The practice of checking in after an appointment for an abortion.
- Contraception & Reproductive Healthcare: Support accessing birth control, the morning-after pill, and other related healthcare services.
- Doula Support: Physical, emotional, and informational guidance and in-person support for pregnant people.
- Financial Support: Financial assistance for abortions, often sent directly to the clinic.
- Information on SMA: Information about choosing to have an abortion outside a medical setting.
- Insurance Advocacy/Education: Support understanding insurance qualifications and enrolling in plans.
- Judicial Bypass Support: Support for young people whose parents or guardians may oppose their decision to have an abortion.
- Leadership Development Program: Programming for community members to become more involved leaders at local abortion funds.
- Logistical Support: Assistance that can include childcare reimbursement, transportation, lodging, and more.
- Other Caller Support: Individual abortion funds offer different types of support. See details on the fund member page to learn more about specific offerings.
- Peer Support Resources: Education materials and events for community members.
- Policy Work: Advocacy work to remove barriers to abortion access.
- Sex Education: Information and learnings about sex and sexuality for community members.
- Storytelling: Sharing stories with other people who have had abortions. Also, media training for people who want to share their stories to impact change.
- Trans Health Support: Guidance and in-person support for people seeking gender-affirming care.
- Wage Replacement: Money to recover or lessen the effect of pay lost while seeking abortion.
- Works with Abortion Seekers: A fund that connects directly with people having abortions. (Some funds work directly only with clinics.)
- Youth Engagement: Programming for young people interested in reproductive health, rights, and access.
Abortion & Abortion Justice Movement Terms
Terms and events that relate to abortions and the abortion justice movement.
A
Abortion: A medical procedure to end a pregnancy.
Abortion Access: The ability for pregnant people to get safe and legal abortions without obstacles or barriers.
Abortion Bans: Laws that restrict or prohibit abortion, making it harder for people to access the procedure.
Abortion Doulas: People trained to provide emotional and practical support to people before, during, and after an abortion. Doulas can work independently or with abortion clinics.
Abortion Funds: Organizations that directly support people seeking abortions. Some funds provide money for abortion procedures. Others help arrange travel, childcare, food, and supplies. Many abortion funds offer other reproductive health and justice services in their communities.
Abortion Justice: The idea that access to abortion is a matter of social justice, ensuring that everyone can make their own reproductive choices.
Abortion Pills: Medications used to terminate pregnancy safely. The term “abortion pills” could mean the medications mifepristone and misoprostol taken together or misoprostol taken alone. Sometimes abortion pills are prescribed by a medical professional, and sometimes people take abortion pills without the involvement of a medical professional, which is called a self-managed abortion (SMA). See “Self-managed Abortion.”
Abortion Provider: A medical professional or facility that offers abortion services.
Abortion Seekers: Any pregnant person trying to access an abortion. These folks often need to find financial and logistical support to remove the barriers between them and the abortion they want and need.
Activist: Someone who takes action to bring about social or political change, often by advocating for specific causes, like abortion justice.
Advocate: A person who speaks up and supports a particular issue or group. Often, these folks try to raise awareness and promote change.
Anti-abortion Centers (also called Crisis Pregnancy Centers): Fake abortion clinics that use false or misleading information to discourage people from choosing abortion.
Autonomy: The ability of a person or organization to make their own choices and decisions without someone else telling them what to do. See “Bodily Autonomy.”
B
Barriers to Abortion Access: Obstacles that make it difficult for people to get safe, legal abortions.
Bodily Autonomy: The principle that people have the right to make decisions about their own bodies without interference or coercion.
C
D
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022): The U.S. Supreme Court case that held the U.S. Constitution does not grant the right to abortion. This landmark decision overturned Roe v. Wade.
E
Economic Injustice: Unfair economic systems or practices that create inequality and limit people’s access to resources and opportunities.
F
Financial support (abortion-specific): Assistance provided to help people cover the cost of abortions and abortion care. Some abortion funds offer this type of support.
G
Gender Inclusivity: This phrase refers to creating environments, policies, and attitudes that embrace and respect all genders, ensuring that all people, regardless of their gender identity, feel valued, supported, and included.
Gestational Bans: Laws prohibiting abortion after a certain number of weeks into pregnancy.
H
Hyde Amendment (1976): The Hyde Amendment is a federal law that bars people from using government insurance to pay for most abortions. In rare cases, exceptions are made for rape, incest, and when the pregnant person’s health would be severely harmed if the pregnancy was carried to term. Learn more. Visit Understanding the Hyde Amendment: An FAQ.
I
In-clinic Abortion: A procedure performed by medical professionals within a healthcare facility to terminate a pregnancy.
Intersectionality: Scholar and civil rights activist Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw created this term to describe how race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics “intersect” with one another and overlap. NNAF recognizes the connections between systems of oppression. Learn more. Read Intersectionality & Reproductive Justice: A Guide.
J
K
L
Logistical Support (abortion-specific): This support includes help with transportation, childcare, lodging, translation services, abortion doulas, and other practical needs. Some abortion funds offer this type of support. See “Practical Support.”
M
Mifepristone: A medication used in combination with misoprostol to induce an abortion.
Misoprostol: A medication that can be used either alone or with mifepristone to induce an abortion.
N
O
Open Funding: The National Network of Abortion Funds uses this phrase in our Find a Fund search feature. It refers to when abortion funds have the money to support abortion seekers. Looking for an abortion fund? Visit Find a Fund!
P
Paused Funding: The National Network of Abortion Funds uses this phrase in our Find a Fund search feature. It refers to when abortion funds don’t have the money to support all the people who need abortions. Help support abortion funds! Donate today!
Post-Dobbs: Refers to the period after the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court case in 2022.
Post-Roe: Refers to the period after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Practical Support: This is another way to say “logistical support.” This support includes help with transportation, childcare, lodging, translation services, abortion doulas, and other logistical needs. Some abortion funds offer this type of support.
Pregnant Person: A person carrying a developing fetus in their womb. The National Network of Abortion Funds knows that people of all genders need and want abortions.
P (Cont.)
Pro-abortion: This term describes a person or group who actively supports the right to choose abortion. The National Network of Abortion Funds uses “pro-abortion” instead of “pro-choice.” We do this for two reasons: To confront anti-abortion stigma.
- To confront anti-abortion stigma.
- To acknowledge that some folks are not able to choose abortion because financial, legal, or practical barriers stand in their way.
Q
r
Racial Injustice: This term refers to the unfair treatment, discrimination, and disadvantages faced by people or groups based on their race or ethnicity. It often results in unequal access to opportunities, resources, and basic rights.
Reproductive Health: The overall well-being and healthcare related to the reproductive system. Abortion clinics, abortion providers, abortion procedures, and any medical care surrounding abortion or directly servicing reproductive needs are examples of reproductive health and reproductive health organizations.
Reproductive Justice: SisterSong defines Reproductive Justice as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.
The Reproductive Justice framework considers the many ways institutions, cultural norms, and systems of oppression exert control over people and their reproductive choices. Learn More. Visit SisterSong: Reproductive Justice.
Roe v. Wade (1973): A landmark Supreme Court decision that recognized the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States.
s
SB-8 Copycat Laws: Laws passed in states other than Texas that mimic or adopt similar provisions to the Texas SB-8 law. See “Texas SB-8 Laws.”
Self-managed Abortion (SMA): The process of ending a pregnancy without medical supervision or involvement. The National Network of Abortion Funds uses this phrase to mean “ending a pregnancy on your own terms.” A self-managed abortion often, but not always, involves abortion pills.
State Constitutional Protection: Legal provisions within a state’s constitution that protect abortion rights.
Statutory Protections for Abortion: Laws that safeguard the right to access abortions.
Stigma: Negative beliefs or attitudes society holds about certain behaviors, identities, or choices. The common stigma around abortion is that people who have abortions should feel guilt and shame.
Structural Racism: Systems and institutions that perpetuate racial inequality and disparities.
Systemic Racism: The ingrained and widespread patterns of racial discrimination present in societal structures and institutions.
T
Texas SB-8 Law: A law in Texas (Senate Bill 8) that bans most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy and allows private citizens to sue those who perform or aid abortions. See “SB-8 Copycat Laws.”
TRAP Laws: Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers laws impose strict regulations on abortion clinics, making it harder for them to operate.
Trigger Bans: Laws that automatically banned or restricted abortion when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.