# Rising fuel costs squeeze abortion funds nationwide, including aid for Nebraskans  
**Published:** 2026-06-03T00:46:40.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/rising-costs-of-fuel-other-goods-squeezes-already-strained-abortion-funds/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/rising-fuel-costs-squeeze-abortion-funds-nationwide-including-aid-for-nebraskans

Surging costs for fuel, food and other goods are adding severe financial strain to nonprofit abortion funds that help people pay for travel and related expenses when seeking care out of state, according to leaders of several organizations discussing the challenge this week.

The issue is particularly acute for Nebraskans, who live in a state [with a 12-week abortion ban](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/04/nebraska-lawmakers-reject-bill-to-require-screenings-of-coercion-abuse-for-abortion-patients/) and minimal in-state abortion access. [Nebraska Abortion Resources (NEAR)](https://neabortionresources.org/), the state's only statewide abortion fund, helps people navigate care in neighboring states like Kansas, Colorado and Illinois.

According to reporting from [Stateline](https://stateline.org/2026/06/02/rising-costs-of-fuel-other-goods-squeezes-already-strained-abortion-funds/), abortion funds nationwide supported more than 158,000 people in 2025, up from 82,000 in 2022, and the average cost per person has doubled from less than $200 to nearly $400. Poonam Dreyfus-Pai, interim executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, said about one-third of abortion funds in their network had to pause hotline services in 2025 due to funding shortages and other challenges.

Colorado's Cobalt Abortion Fund experienced a 1,000% increase in spending for abortion seekers from 2021 to 2025, spending $2.4 million in 2025 compared with $206,000 in 2021. The fund reported a 44% increase in flight costs between March 2025 and March 2026, with spending rising 26% in the first three months of 2026 alone due to rising fuel costs linked to conflict in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Airfare costs can spike dramatically when funds must book flights on short notice. The Florida Access Project noted that quick travel windows can increase ticket prices by $500 to $700. The Cobalt fund also allocated $23,000 in the first quarter of 2026 to support access to abortion medication via telehealth, which remains under legal threat.

"We're seeing that this year is even harder for funds, with many more funds needing to temporarily close their doors to stretch their funding, and some even closing permanently," Dreyfus-Pai said. For Nebraskans already facing geographic and legal barriers to care, the financial squeeze adds another layer of difficulty to accessing abortion services.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/rising-costs-of-fuel-other-goods-squeezes-already-strained-abortion-funds/)
- [Original reporting from Stateline about rising costs affecting abortion funds](https://stateline.org/2026/06/02/rising-costs-of-fuel-other-goods-squeezes-already-strained-abortion-funds/)
- [Nebraska Examiner coverage of state abortion restrictions](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/04/nebraska-lawmakers-reject-bill-to-require-screenings-of-coercion-abuse-for-abortion-patients/)
- [Nebraska Abortion Resources website](https://neabortionresources.org/)
- [Stateline reporting on abortion funds](https://stateline.org/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/rising-costs-of-fuel-other-goods-squeezes-already-strained-abortion-funds/.