Despite threats, Florida abortion advocate fights on

Braving death threats, harassment, and the risk of prosecution, Stephanie Loraine Pineiro is resolute in her mission to help women in Florida obtain abortions, despite the "constant risk."

"I put my livelihood at risk, I put my life at risk," says the 32-year-old executive director of the Florida Access Network in an interview with AFP.

"There's a lot of people who want to hurt me for believing in what I believe in and for doing the work that I'm doing."

Abortion has become a core issue in this year's presidential election, with no fewer than ten states holding referendums aimed at expanding access or embedding legal protections for the procedure.

In Florida, where abortion is now banned after six weeks, the debate is particularly heated.

But Pineiro remains focused on the present: "We're making abortion accessible right now, regardless of what happens in the election cycle."

The fund she leads helps women cover the costs of medical appointments and transportation to clinics, which can be prohibitively expensive.

Since Florida introduced its six-week abortion limit in May, many women have had to travel out of state to access care.

"Prior to the six-week ban, about 15 percent of our clients were traveling out of state. Now, it's up to about 50 percent," Pineiro explains from her home in Orlando.

Her team frequently assists clients who have never flown before, arranging travel and other logistics. The organization, which depends on private donations, constantly struggles to secure enough funding.

Last year, the Florida Access Network supported 1,500 people with around $400,000 in funds.

Following the US Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn federal abortion protections, the group raised $200,000 in a single month. However, after the six-week ban was enacted, donations plummeted to just a quarter of that amount.

Pineiro attributes the drop to donor fatigue.

"More than two years have passed, and those rage donations stopped," she notes.

- Hateful messages -

At the same time, the organization has witnessed a "dramatic" rise in requests for help.

"Sometimes, within the first three days of the month, we will have 130 people reach out to us."

With only 10 employees and a tight monthly budget, the organization often has to shut down its application form early in the month, leaving more women waiting for aid. The situation is made even worse by constant harassment.

Anti-abortion activists sometimes submit false applications to drain the network's resources.

"Every single week, we receive threatening emails and hateful messages on social media," Pineiro says calmly.

She became involved in this work after facing her own challenges obtaining an abortion when she was younger.

Pineiro is accustomed to sharing her personal story -- including in testimony to Congress -- but she deactivated her Twitter account in 2021 after receiving death threats.

The organization stays vigilant to protect itself: each volunteer's identity is verified, and event locations are closely monitored for security.

"It's a very high-risk situation for organizations engaging in any kind of abortion access work."

- Fear of prosecution -

Another pressing concern is the threat of legal action.

"We work with our attorneys to ensure that all our programs and everything we discuss with our clients aligns with the letter of the law," Pineiro explains.

The issue of abortion pills is especially delicate. Some services mail abortion pills from less restrictive states, which have adopted laws protecting doctors from extradition when they prescribe pills to women who exceed their state's abortion limits.

However, not everyone is aware of this option, and some organizations hesitate to share this information due to fear of legal repercussions.

"Statistics show that many people are opting to self-manage their abortion with pills ordered online. That's not something we support them in doing," Pineiro says.

"We provide people with resources so they can make the best decision for their lives," she adds, pointing to the website www.IneedanA.com as an example.

Despite these efforts, Pineiro emphasizes the harsh reality of abortion restrictions.

"We see the direct impact of these abortion restrictions every single day," she says. "These bans force people to remain pregnant longer than they ever want to be."