A Message from Jaylynn Johnstone, Board President, Baltimore Abortion Fund

December is when we traditionally hold the Baltimore Abortion Fund Annual Holiday Party, where the BAF community connects with one another and celebrates the year’s accomplishments. It’s a wonderful opportunity for supporters like you to meet the passionate volunteers who help keep BAF running day-to-day. Our holiday party is an especially meaningful event for me because it was the first BAF event I attended in December 2016. I hadn’t been living in Baltimore very long at that point, but, like many of you I was a monthly donor, and I went to show my support.

I wouldn’t have ever imagined that as a trans non-binary Filipino kid from Alaska that I would one day have the honor to serve as the Board President for BAF. I saw Spencer, the first BAF Board President, make a public address at that holiday party in 2016. In keeping with the tradition, I’m making a public President’s address this year, just in a virtual way.

And why you should give a monthly donation to Baltimore Abortion Fund starting NOW

Maryland is a state where access to abortion is protected and accessible. But, no matter who is in the Oval Office, it’s important to note that access doesn't always translate into everyone getting the abortion healthcare they need if they can't afford it. 

That’s why the Baltimore Abortion Fund, alongside supporters like you and other abortion funds around the country, is working to remove financial barriers, and toward a vision of justice and liberation.  

Starting September 21, it’s Taco or Beer Challenge week at the Baltimore Abortion Fund! 

What is the Taco or Beer Challenge? 

• Eat a taco and/or drink a beer
• Donate to the Baltimore Abortion Fund
• Take a picture or video of you doing both
• Post on social media using #ToBC20 and #BaltimoreAF and then challenge three friends!

"My decision to have an abortion as a young woman was emotionally difficult, but I had the financial resources to access my care and live in a state that doesn’t oppress people’s rights. Not everyone has that experience. Until our callers no longer face financial and access challenges, today’s Supreme Court decision only means that we at Baltimore Abortion Fund continue to be committed to helping them access the abortion care they need."

-Marni Cooper, BAF Board Member

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By 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court struck down the Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have hospital admitting privileges!

Today’s June Medical Services v. Russo decision means Louisiana’s clinics will remain open, despite anti-abortion efforts to shut them down. Thanks to Louisiana’s Hope Clinic and allies like the New Orleans Abortion Fund for shouldering years of labor for all of us working for accessible abortion.

Even with today’s SCOTUS decision, abortion remains out of reach for many across the country who have and will continue to count on abortion funds to bridge the gaps created by anti-abortion legislation.

Donating to an abortion fund is a meaningful act of solidarity. Support BAF or your local fund today!

Juneteenth, Freedom Day, June 19, 1865

Juneteenth is a day that honors Black freedom and Black resistance. It's a celebration of Black resilience.

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, with the news that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This was 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This day came to be known as “Juneteenth,” by the newly freed people in Texas. But, the fight for true freedom is far from over.

"BAF believes that abortion can be a revolutionary act of freedom. On Juneteenth, we remember our community members who are incarcerated, who have not yet seen the promise of this day. No one is free until we're all free."

-Imani Spence, Vice President, Baltimore Abortion Fund Board