Remembering Emily Rutherford
In 1992, Emily Rutherford, a woman living in Granville, Ohio, got a call from a friend with a problem: she needed an abortion, but she couldn’t afford it. Her friend was a divorced mother of a 2-year-old toddler, now distressed that she was pregnant again.
Emily wrote a check for $200, drove her across town, and took her son to COSI while his mom got her abortion. Emily told her the funds came from a group of folks who help pay for abortion care. Not wanting to lie to her friend, she created such a group, then called Women Have Options Ohio, which would go on to become Abortion Fund of Ohio—Ohio’s sole statewide abortion fund.
Emily had her own abortion story, too. Of her abortion, she said simply, “I had five children under 6, and when I became pregnant again, then I had an abortion.” She traveled to Puerto Rico for abortion care when living in Massachusetts, where abortion wasn’t legal prior to Roe v. Wade. Though birth control was becoming more accessible by then, her doctor refused to prescribe it. When she became pregnant for the 6th time, she first sought out abortion care locally. Every doctor she visited refused. Determined, she and her parents arranged travel to Puerto Rico, where she received her abortion, then had to fly back again for follow-up care.
It wasn’t a simple—or cheap—journey, and she knew that folks without the time, resources, or money would not be able to access abortion. Of this gap, she said, “Wealthy women will always be able to get abortions.”
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On October 26, 2024, Emily died at her home at the age of 90, leaving a legacy of compassion and care. Abortion Fund of Ohio is honored to celebrate Emily's life and work, whose leadership was essential in stewarding us to where we are today. There are no words strong enough to describe the immense gratitude we have for Emily.
Emily was a proud graduate of The Columbus School for Girls, Smith College, and The Ohio State University, where she earned masters degrees in education and social work. Emily’s work is not limited to our fund—she also helped found The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio in 2000, which is dedicated to investing in the lived experience of women and girls across central Ohio.
Back in her living room in 1992, Emily gathered a small group of people who would form Women Have Options Ohio. In their first year, they raised $5,000 to support three women who needed help paying for their abortions. They returned voicemails, gave rides to clinics, babysat, and funded the cost of care. In the following year, Emily and the fund would help found the National Network of Abortion Funds, which began as a collective of 22 abortion funds and has grown to a network of more than 100.
When the fund was founded, abortion was even more stigmatized than it is today. For years, the identities of those behind Women Have Options Ohio remained anonymous, having received a slew of threats—including a P.O. box anthrax scare. Emily was largely unphased by the violence: she served as our first Executive Director, then as a Board Member until 2015, remaining in contact with the fund after her retirement.
We gathered in Emily’s living room in 2022, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the fund and sharing news of our intent to change the fund’s name. We acknowledged the great care and work that created and sustained Women Have Options Ohio. We also acknowledged that our name should reflect everyone who may need help accessing abortion, regardless of gender. Emily could not have been more supportive of the change, seeing the organization grow alongside a new generation of leadership. Her warmth and trust in our stewardship of the rapidly expanding fund will remain a guiding force as we push forward.
In love and solidarity,
Abortion Fund of Ohio
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You can read Emily’s obituary and honor her memory by planting a tree. You can also watch the short oral history we created nearly 10 years ago to honor Emily and our founders.
Black Reproductive Justice Futures: Lexis
Black Reproductive Justice Futures: Lexis
Lexis' leadership, whether externally or internally, is focused on creating sustainable, nourishing movement spaces. Creating an environment where young Black leaders are truly given the space to flourish is nothing short of revolutionary. Lexis is so talented in cultivating elastic, cross-movement relationships. Her intention in building Black power & resistance has been a critical force in every aspect of our work. We could not be prouder to learn from her leadership and grow alongside her.
Her theory of RJ is based in the real-world implementation of intersectionality and connection. As she so rightly put it, "We are not meant to love alone, heal alone, or live in silo—we need one another."
Who’s an RJ leader you admire & why?
"My lovely, fierce friend Larada Lee-Wallace! As a doula, storyteller and organizer, Larada consistently cares, supports and advocates for those who our society consistently deems as unworthy. Larada has also taught me the importance of community, which is the heart of Reproductive Justice. We are not meant to love alone, heal alone or live in silo—we need one another!"
What value does solidarity play in RJ & other Black-led movements?
"Intersectionality is the basis of Reproductive Justice. Under an RJ Framework, every person has the ability to live and raise their family (whatever that may look like) safely, healthily, and with support - think about how much that entails! This requires access to housing and all forms of healthcare, it requires our environment to be cared for, it requires an end to mass incarceration and state-sanctioned familial separation, it requires freedom of violence, it requires food security, it requires access to equitable education, and so so much more, for ALL people, not just people who look a certain way or have more resources than other. As Audre Lorde said, 'There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.'
Reproductive oppression is a product and tool of other forms of oppression like racism, classism, ableism, colonialism, and transphobia. RJ forces us to look between the lines, see the connections across movements, and collaborate amongst different social struggles, while prioritizing the most vulnerable to achieve liberation.”
-Lexis
Black Reproductive Justice Futures: Taren
Black Reproductive Justice Futures: Taren
Today, in looking toward Black futures, we're highlighting our Program Manager, Taren!
Taren perfectly encompasses the heart & future of RJ. She builds the future of RJ from a place of love, while still acknowledging the very real injustices we’re fighting. She’s best described as a resilient, authentic, and humble leader, talking to patients with the same genuine care she shows her friends and family. Already, Taren’s work in this movement has been invaluable, and we’re ecstatic to be part of her journey.
How would you like to see RJ grow in the next 5 years?
"I would love to see more movement spaces look to RJ as a guiding framework. When we approach issues through an RJ lens, we see the bigger, clearer picture. We're able to understand that while rights and laws are important, they’re not enough when we consider the barriers in place that prevent folks with marginalized identities from exercising those rights, and I think that reaches far beyond just repro. This will allow us to better build solidarity and power."
-Taren