‘We’re not going anywhere:’ Palmetto State Abortion Fund to continue work, adjust strategy

A grassroots organization launched last year to help women pay for abortions will remain in place even if lawmakers outlaw the practice, its founders told The Sun News Friday.

“We’re still be operating as long as we’re able to. We’re not going to shut down. We’re not going anywhere,” said Ashlyn Preaux, a Myrtle Beach resident who co-founded the Palmetto State Abortion Fund in 2021.

Preaux is the Democratic nominee for state House District 61. Her opponent, Republican Carla Scheussler, was not immediately available for comment Friday.

Right now, the group has about $10,000 in hand and assists with clients seeking medically-induced abortions — enough money to cover 25 procedures.

Preaux said the fund was launched to address the medical needs of women seeking abortion services across the Carolinas.

“We knew there was more that was needed here. We just saw the gap that needed to be filled,” Preaux said.

South Carolina has three licensed abortion facilities: The Greenville Women’s Clinic and Planned Parenthood centers in Charleston and Columbia.

The Coastline Women’s Center, a Grand Strand nonprofit with revenues of almost $400,000 according to their 2019 tax forms, runs facilities in Conway, Little River and Myrtle Beach that offer pregnancy conformation, pre-abortion assessments and pregnancy option education, but the sites don’t offer or make referrals for abortions.

Their locations are:

• Conway: Abagail’s Place, 1607 9th Ave. For more information, call (843) 488-9971.
• Little River: Satellite Medical Clinic, 4085 Minneola Ave. For more information, call or text (843) 877-5653.
• Myrtle Beach: Medical Clinic, 3926 Wesley St., #303. For more information, call or text (843) 877-5653.

Since a draft opinion of the Supreme Court’s ruling was leaked early last month, Preaux said her volunteer board has been deliberating about its next steps. Language included in the final decision on Friday was nearly identical to the working opinion.

“We were waiting for this. We all knew this was going happen but we are still frustrated and angry,” Preaux said.

Preaux said the fund may shift its financial resources into surrounding states that have more relaxed abortion laws, but much of its work will be guided by what the legislature ultimately decided.

“We’re going to adapt,” she said.

Diedre Griffin, a Florence resident who launched the fund with Preaux, said the Supreme Court ruling was a “gut punch.”

“I have a daughter, and it’s sickening my daughter is going to be negatively impacted by this,” she said.

This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 12:30 PM with the headline "‘We’re not going anywhere:’ Palmetto State Abortion Fund to continue work, adjust strategy."