Welcome to WHEF of Rhode Island, the Women's Health and Education Fund.  We're a local, all-volunteer organization and we raise money for low-income Rhode Island women who choose abortion or contraceptive care but cannot afford the cost.  We've been doing this work since 1989 and since that time we've provided financial support to more than 3,000 Rhode Island women who otherwise would not have been able to access the reproductive health care of their choice.

And right now, access to abortion and contraceptive care is what we're fighting for.  Although abortion and contraceptive care are still legal, they are financially out of reach for thousands of Rhode Island women.

Rhode Island is one of several states that does not allow Medicaid funds to be used for abortion care, except when the life of the woman is at risk.  This means that the approximately 14,000 women who receive RIteCare (RI's Medicaid program) as the health care component of their welfare support, must pay out of pocket if they choose to terminate a pregnancy unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.  Today, the cost of an abortion procedure starts at about $500.  Consider this cost, when welfare payments may not cover the cost of rent.  Consider the turmoil of an unwanted pregnancy and not having financial means to exercise your choice.  This is where the Women's Health and Education Fund steps up, working directly with the area's clinics to fill in the gap of what women cannot afford.