Far-left outlet The 19th prioritizes fundraising for hurricane victims who are 'seeking an abortion'

Far-left 19th News has launched a fundraising effort in order to raise money for natural disaster victims who are "LGBTQ+ people" as well as for women "seeking an abortion" in the wake of Hurricane Helene. This comes as the hurricane has struck in the southeastern region of the United States, causing mass destruction as well as taking at least 120 lives.

Leftist journalist Jessica Kutz at The 19th News posted a list of different efforts for LGBTQ people as well as pregnant women wanting to get abortions, saying, "We put together a list of resources for those looking to donate in the wake of Hurricane Helene. We focused on mutual aid groups and organizations on the ground that are helping LGBTQ+ people and people seeking an abortion."

In addition to helping those who are LGBTQ and pregnant women seeking abortion, the outlet sought out “mutual aid groups,” or organizations that will trade assistance. The article linked in Kutz's post claims, "LGBTQ+ people and women face unique needs after climate disasters that are often ignored by federal disaster response," and added that "LGBTQ+ people are twice as likely to be displaced after a disaster and have a harder time accessing recovery resources."

The report claimed this based on a survey asking those who are LGBTQ if they have experienced food insecurity or have lack of access to water when disaster has struck in the past. However, this may be due to other factors such as location and concentration of LGBTQ adults.

Per 2021 data, the largest share of the adult LGBTQ population is in the southern part of the US, per the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute. This region of the US is also highly subject to the natural disasters of hurricanes and flooding. The article adds that the outlet wants to support women hoping to get abortions, saying that there are "significant hurdles in accessing" abortion. Organizations that the report listed to primarily help those who are LGBTQ+ included: Voices of Florida, Firestorm Books, Prism, and TriPride.

Looking at a couple of the organizations, Voices of Florida is a “black and queer-led" group that has participated in activism against the abortion ban in Florida. Firestorm Books is a “Anarchist, Community Bookstore” that “aims to provide community space, critical literature and an alternative economic model based on cooperative, libertarian principles.”

Organizations they listed for people to donate to for women to get abortions included: Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective, Carolina Abortion Access Fund, Mountain Access Brigade, and RISE. The Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective also advocates for the liberation of Palestine, and its website says it helps women “seeking abortion in Asheville and the greater Western NC area.” The Mountain Access Brigade raises money in order to help pay for abortions and is made up of an “all-volunteer group of abortion doulas based in Tennessee who are passionate” about helping women get access to abortions.