"Today's Supreme Court ruling is a huge victory for the LGBTQAI community. Our reproductive justice movement is built on the power and organizing of so many LGBTQAI community members, specifically and at its core by those who are BIPOC. Our community celebrates this milestone while remembering the lives of so many BIPOC who were and continue to be casualties of our society’s failure to recognize and root out transphobia, homophobia and racism. My celebration is in honor of their lives. Our fight continues because as long as Black Trans Lives are denied freedom, we are all denied freedom."

-Jaylynn Johnstone, Board President, Baltimore Abortion Fund

Abortion is time-sensitive and essential! Check out our OpEd recently published in the The Baltimore Sun! Make a donation to BAF today.

(Photo Credit: Nicole McCann)

Originally published in The Baltimore Sun on April 16, 2020

By BAF Board Members Liz Bayer, Hannah Kang, and Nicole McCann

During a global pandemic, legislators in Texas tried — and failed — to use the coronavirus as an excuse to effectively ban abortion and deny its residents access to the care they need and many other states are attempted to follow their lead (“Abortion during a pandemic? Texas says no in many cases,” April 14). Thankfully, Maryland’s clinics are open and will continue to operate.

However, misinformation circulated widely after Gov. Larry Hogan’s initial shelter-in-place directive included confusing and seemingly contradictory remarks about whether clinics would be forced to close. Though the governor’s office later clarified that clinics are open, unclear communication can discourage folks from seeking the care they need. Rather than relying on nonprofit organizations to work overtime correcting misinformation, the Baltimore Abortion Fund urges The Baltimore Sun to fact check Governor Hogan’s statement and provide residents with clear information about services that are, in fact, still essential.

Read the full OpEd here.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us on Facebook Live! In case you missed it, we saved the conversation for all to access here.

Our Board VP, Imani Spence, answered some questions about this year's Fund-a-Thon. She touched on ways to make this Fund-a-Thon unique by hosting virtual events that you, personally, would be excited about.

There was also talk about ways BAF engages with abortion funds across the country for Fund-a-Thon ever year. Learning more about the National Network of Abortion Funds can give your communities ways to get involved with BAF or their local abortion funds.

During the Facebook Live, Imani talked a bit about our fundraising toolkit. The team at BAF has put this toolkit together in hopes that the information here can make this Fund-a-Thon simple and effective. We compiled email templates, infographics, and social media posts so that you and your team can effortlessly ask for donations. We know not everyone can donate right now, but some folx are financially okay and are happy to support.

DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT

GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUND-A-THON

Be sure to tag BAF on any posts about Fund-a-Thon (@baltimorefund on Instagram and Twitter, and @baltimoreabortionfund on Facebook). You can also use hashtags #FThon20 #BaltimoreAF to see what other folx are doing to raise money.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions!

We haven’t written much on our blog in 2019 because we’ve been busy this year. This is not one of those, “we like to announce to everyone that we’re SOOO busy” and then proceed to spend 4 hours on Instagram every day watching Tasty videos. We’ve been legit busy this year. 

Since March, we have seen a 100% increase in call volume compared to 2018. Every. Month. This year was no doubt a record-breaking year for us in terms of calls, pledges, and caller demographics. We’re adjusting to our new norm with the increased demand. 

We’d like to see you at our holiday celebration shindig and share more about how busy we’ve been this year and talk about our plans for next year.

-JR

Board Member, The Baltimore Abortion Fund

The Baltimore Abortion Fund's fifth annual holiday shindig on December 5th from 6-9pm. The event will be held at a private residence in Reservoir Hill. Join us for drinks, light fare, conversation, and community, to celebrate our work in 2019.

Tickets:

We are asking you to RSVP with a suggested sliding scale donation ticket of $10-$50. An RSVP is requested for ease of tracking and communicating the address to you. Cash donation at the door will be accepted. Please also RSVP if you plan on making a cash donation. 

If cost is a barrier, please send us a private email at [email protected] and we will add you to the guest list. 

We will release the address of the private residence on the day of the event. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Accessibility: 

This home is accessed using a flight of stairs. Please contact us at the above email with any accessibility concerns.

RSVP on Eventbrite

2018 was a banner year for the Baltimore Abortion Fund. We've raised a record amount of money with the help of our community, funded hundreds of individuals seeking abortion care, and recruited new volunteers and board members to ensure the future sustainability of BAF. We're all about the long game, and we know that you're in it for the long haul with us.

Join us on Thursday, December 6 to raise a toast to our work in 2018 and our community, who makes it all possible.

Click here to get your tickets for a suggested donation of $10-50, sliding scale.