Hey there, BAF Community,
I’m writing to you the morning after a full day responding to messages from abortion-seekers living in and traveling to Maryland for their appointments. All day, I’ve been talking to people who are worried about funding the cost of their abortion, covering their travel or making up for lost wages, affording childcare, or finding a ride to their clinic.
Every time I finish a shift, I feel so grateful to have been able to tell so many people that we’ll be able to help fund their abortion. But at the same time, I always wish we could do more.
When our community calls, we want to be able to answer. Will you make a donation to the Baltimore Abortion Fund today to make sure we can?
Like many other abortion funds, BAF uses a “warm line” model, which means that instead of taking live calls, abortion-seekers leave messages during our intake hours letting us know what support they need and how urgently.
I started my shift yesterday with a cup of coffee, a notebook, and 60 voicemails to try and return by the end of the day.
The first two callers I tried to reach didn’t answer, so I left messages and gave them instructions for calling back before the next intake period.
My third caller picked up, and I was so glad she did. Her abortion was scheduled for this coming Monday, and she was about $400 short of the funding she needed for her procedure. After confirming that her clinic was on our list, I was able to give her a pledge to cover both her abortion and her travel from her home in Virginia. She was so relieved to know that she’d be able to access care. I told her that accessing abortion is her right, and that we’re honored to be able to make it possible for the people in our communities to get the care they need.
I was able to fully fund that caller, but as you know, that’s not always the case. Donating before we hit the emergency point helps BAF plan for those unexpected and higher-cost cases. Can you give today to make sure we’re prepared for the next call?
I’M ANSWERING, LET’S DO IT! 🤳💕
Every shift is different. Sometimes I speak with parents who are worried about paying for a babysitter for their children, teens who need funding for their abortions and information about preventing future pregnancies, and sometimes I speak with callers experiencing intimate partner violence who are worried about their safety.
The hardest call came at the end of the day — a couple traveling from out-of-state because they needed to access an abortion at a clinic here in Maryland. They had a funding gap of $16,000. For that call I knew we didn’t have the ability to fully close that gap. For me, those are the worst moments: When I know we don’t have the budget to fully get a caller what they need.
It’s moments like that when we rely on our community — you — the most. By making a gift today, you can make sure we have more funds on hand, ready to be put to good use.
When I finished my shift and sat down to work on this email, I wasn’t totally sure what to say. How do I put this work into just one message? Every shift is so different, but every abortion matters. Every caller, whatever their situation, deserves to know that they can rely on BAF to get the funding — and then the care — they need.
BAF’s work isn’t special because what we do is unique, but because we’re doing everything in our power to show up for our community, however we can. When you donate today — and I really hope you will! — your support goes beyond funding an abortion. It's proof of your investment in showing up for our community, practicing collective care, and laying the foundation for a world where abortion is liberated.
That’s the world I try to build every day I show up for a shift. With your help, we can make it real.
In solidarity,
Will L.
Client Services Coordinator