Thank you all so much for the incredible outpouring of support today. In just 6 hours we've raised $4436, which means we'll be able cover both patients.

We're so grateful for this wonderful community. Thank you making sure our folks get the safe, compassionate abortion care that they need!

Spencer Hall, BAF President 

I apologize in advance if this post is a bit scattered. The BAF team didn't sleep much last night. 

Yesterday afternoon we received some terrible news. Germantown Reproductive Health Services, one of just three clinics in the nation that serves women in need of later abortion care, will be closing its doors for good on Monday. The reason? The building was purchased by an anti-choice group that has relentlessly targeted the clinic for the last several years. While Dr. Carhart plans to resume providing care at another location as soon as possible, the sudden closure of the clinic has left several patients in a very tough spot.

Earlier this week we made a pledge to Maya so that she could go to Germantown for her abortion care. Maya is a young, disabled woman who has faced a number of barriers trying to access abortion care. Her appointment is scheduled for Monday, the last day before the clinic closes its doors. She has come up with nearly half the money she needs, but she is still $1100 short. 

We've also been working with Natalie, a minor who is traveling to Germantown all the way from South Carolina for an appointment tomorrow. The cost of the procedure, plus the added cost of a bus ticket and hotel, means she still has to raise another $3400 by tomorrow morning in order to keep her appointment and get the care that she needs. 

We need your help to make sure these patients get the care they need before the clinic closes for good on Monday. Please give $10, $20, $50 - whatever you can - to help Maya and Natalie. 

Please know that in the wake of the clinic closure, we are doing all we can to help callers reschedule their appointments with other providers, and will do what we can to cover the increased costs that come with delaying care. 

Thank you for your support.

Spencer Hall
BAF President 

Starting today, May 1^st – Happy May Day, y’all! - during the first week of each month, I will share a blog post of FIVE things that I recommend to read/watch/listen to/do related to social and reproductive justice (and one thing that I’m looking forward to reviewing next month). This is directly inspired by my monthly “top picks” on Twitter (which range from new tv shows, podcasts, recipes, and pretty much anything that is making me happy). Creating and sharing my top picks has not only been a way to recommend things I think are important, I also love getting feedback and recommendations from others. I hope that is what these monthly picks will do too; that this is not just a go-to list, but also begins an intentional conversation in our communities – starting here.

As we approach our second anniversary, I am amazed at how much BAF has grown in just two short years. When we first launched our helpline in October 2014, we were only taking calls from Baltimore residents, and with a very meager budget, we were only able to help 6 or 7 people each month. These days our volunteer case managers hear from nearly 100 callers every month, and thankfully, we’ve been able to help more and more people each month as well.

We’ve also grown geographically. Even though we started out serving only the Baltimore community, our hope was that one day we would be able to help folks all over Maryland access the safe abortion care that they need. In June 2015, less than a year after we launched, we were able to expand beyond Baltimore, into several of the surrounding counties.

Thanks to the overwhelming support and generosity of our supporters, BAF continues to grow, and  I am happy to announce that we are once again able to expand.

Effective immediately, BAF is able to offer assistance to residents of all Maryland counties, except for Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.*

The decision to exclude these two counties from our expansion was a tough one. While the need for funding is great across our state, we know that people in more rural areas like western Maryland and the Eastern Shore face additional barriers (few providers, lack of public transportation) that increase the out-of-pocket costs for abortion care. As we grow, we will continue to evaluate our ability to fund individuals in all Maryland counties. For now, we feel that focusing our latest expansion on these communities is in line with our goal of prioritizing those with the greatest need.

As always, thank you for your continued support of BAF, and for making choice a reality in Maryland.

Spencer Hall

BAF President 

*Montgomery and Prince George’s residents should contact the DC Abortion Fund for assistance at 202-452-7464.