Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund

This is a sad and dangerous moment for the US Supreme Court and our country. On 6/24/222, the US Supreme Court did what has never been done before--they took away a "right" from women. The right to abortion is essential for women's equality.  This is a radical and dangerous decision that will harm women. The health and life of women in this country are now at risk.

Politics can't interfere between a woman and her doctor. 

EMW will remain open as we take this challenge to state court. We filed immediately after the Supreme Court's ruling on June 24th, 2022.  Click here for the statement and update from the ACLU regarding EMW as we file legal challenges in state court. 

Every American has something at stake in this decision. The extremists and this radical US Supreme Court will undermine other rights of all citizens.

But make no mistake, as the largest provider of abortion care in Kentucky, EMW Women’s Surgical Center will fight for our all our patients and for women's equality to have control over their bodies and lives.

Now is the time for everyone to join us in speaking out against abortion stigma and demanding our state lawmakers protect abortion access. It’s time to donate to abortion funds that help people access care, like the Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund. It’s time to fight back all extremist attempts to ban abortion. And it’s time for our lawmakers to provide social safety nets like quality healthcare, living wages, and affordable childcare that make it easier for people to decide if, when, and how to start a family.” It's time for lawmakers to provide social safety nets that makes it easier for people to support their families.

Help us stay in the fight to protect freedom, not restrict it. Donate to the Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund or your choice of abortion fund. 

What else can you do?

Congress must restore protections of Roe v Wade as federal law. This fall Roe and other freedoms are on the ballot--core principles of equality. City, state and federal elections matter.  Please register to vote and vote in all elections for representatives who will protect the right to choose. 

The Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund normally accepts donations through the Community Foundation of Louisville. Due to an increase in support from across the country during a social time of need, we temporarily must move to GoFundMe for donations under $250. Although you are able donate higher than $250 through GoFundMe, if you intend to make a gift over $250 and want to receive a tax deduction, please contact the Community Foundation of Louisville at the following email address:

Mission
The Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund is dedicated to maintaining and improving access to contraception and abortion care. The fund supports litigation, policy reform, patient subsidies and the expansion of women's access to care in the state. The goal of the fund is shifting the landscape in Kentucky to ensure that women's access to constitutionally protected, safe and dignified reproductive health care is not jeopardized. All of the listed areas of focus are important and have local, state, regional and national implications for women to make their own reproductive health decisions.

Our Story
Dr. Ernest Marshall and his wife Ona founded the Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund in response to escalating attacks on Kentucky women’s reproductive rights in 2018. Dr. Marshall is the only surviving founding member of EMW Women's Surgical Center  which is the only licensed abortion provider in the state of KY. The surgical center was founded in 1980 by three board certified OB/GYN physicians that dedicated their careers to providing comprehensive OB/GYN, family planning and reproductive services to women in Kentucky and regionally (Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, West Virginia). Over the years EMW and its physicians have acted as plaintiffs in state and federal level cases against legislation that has attempted to block women's access to care.

Since the 1980's EMW has been and remains the training facility for the medical students and OB/GYN residents at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. Patients are referred to the University of Louisville Family Planning Clinic for long acting reversible contraception which can be obtained at no cost.

Our Staff
Available to give patients excellent medical care and provide medically accurate information are board certified OB/GYN physicians that are professors at the University of Louisville, registered nurses, counselor with a training certificate in marriage and family planning, nurse anesthetist's, anesthesiologist, surgical assistants and medical assistants.

Who We Serve
Women in the state of KY, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee, Missouri and West Virginia.

Our Partners
ACLU,  Kentucky Health Justice Network, National Abortion Federation, Feminist Majority Foundation and Women to the Front.

Our partners tackle challenges in many ways from protecting women as they enter the clinic, blocking anti-abortion laws in court, fundraising, subsidizing medical costs and hotels to assisting women with transportation to the clinic.

American women are constantly under siege. Join us to ensure that every person has reproductive options to control their own body and decide their own future.

Please note that gifts made thru GoFundMe are not generally tax deductible. But if you intend to make a gift over $250 and receive a tax deduction, please contact the Community Foundation of Louisville at the email listed above.