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Family planning clinics in Colorado are reporting an almost 10 percent increase in abortions over the past year.

Both national and local groups say the increase is a likely result of the crumbling economy. Women are struggling to come up with money to raise a child. And as the economy continues to take its toll, some women are having to make the hard decision between having an abortion and raising a child. 

Even when the choice to have an abortion is made, many women are then struggling to come up with money to pay for the procedure.

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains reported a 9.7-percent increase in abortion services over the past year. The organization also reported a 34-percent increase in demand for certain birth control devices, as well as an 8 percent increase in HIV tests and a 4.4 percent increase in annual exams in the first fiscal quarter of this year, according to Monica McCafferty, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

“From day-to-day we’re hearing stories from women whose decision to afford birth control means they have to sacrifice elsewhere,” said McCafferty. 

Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, the professional association of abortion providers nationwide, said her organization has seen a huge spike in calls to its helpline from women looking for assistance.

“We have consistently been hearing from women who are struggling to afford the abortion care they need,” said Saporta. “Some who were laid off and had to choose between being evicted or paying for their care, others who needed to pawn their personal belongings, sold their cars, were forced to sell textbooks, or even their blood or themselves in order to pay for abortion care.”

Colorado women are unable to file a Medicaid claim to pay for an abortion, unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or their life would be endangered as a result of the pregnancy. Only 15 states allow Medicaid claims for abortions.

As a result, some women in Colorado are finding themselves delaying an abortion while they attempt to raise the funds needed to pay for the service themselves, said Saporta.

“Sometimes it takes them a while to raise the funds, and so then they have to have a later abortion, which is often times more costly and slightly more risky,” she said.

Foes: Abortion not necessary

Abortion foes say concerns over money should never be a reason to have an abortion. They say there are plenty of options on the table.

“There are so many families out there waiting to adopt a child,” said Kristi Burton, the lead proponent of an initiative last year that would have defined a fertilized egg as a person in the state constitution, effectively banning abortions. “I mean, some of my really close friends are waiting right now to get a baby, they don’t have one, and they’ve been in the process for months. So, even if you can’t afford to raise one, I really wish that people would give that baby to another family that does want to raise it and can afford it.”

Homeless services demand up

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless agrees that the economy has increased demand for overall health care services for people in need, including pre- and post-natal care, gynecological services and family planning. The homeless advocacy group says it has seen at least a 20-percent increase in demand for services at its Stout Street Clinic.

The economic crisis hit the Coalition so hard that it was forced to declare a “state of emergency.”

“This is an issue that we’ve been dealing with for about the past six months, and it’s been getting steadily worse, almost on a day to day basis,” said Bette Iacino, director of education and advocacy for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

The National Network of Abortion Funds, a group that helps women in need pay for abortions, said it has seen an increase by as much as 100 percent in calls to its helpline.

“It is now common for staff to pick up the phone to hear sobbing and gasping women who have tried everything they can think of to raise enough money for an abortion, are still coming up short, and are at the breaking point emotionally,” states a report by the organization. 

McCafferty said doctors and counselors at Planned Parenthood clinics across Colorado are hearing an increase in stories of very careful, difficult decisions forced to be made.

“The economic downturn is really encouraging women to make very calculated, conscious decisions when it comes to family planning,” she said. “It’s really about doing what’s best for them in that current moment.”

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