On May 2, the Baltimore Abortion Fund (BAF) concluded its spring Fund-a-Thon — participating in the National Network of Abortion Funds’ annual fundraising efforts — at the Current Space art gallery in Downtown Baltimore with “Blossom Bash: A Disco Dance Party for Abortion Justice.”
The BAF team threw a ’70s-inspired garden party with hors d’oeuvres supplied by Broadway Market’s Thai Street, themed libations, ample bubble wands for waving, and a rich array of spring attire. Following a lively showcase courtesy of DC-based performer Pretty Boi Drag, the nonprofit’s co-executive directors shared that donors raised more than $2 million last year.
“This is a powerful example of what we can do when we reach out to our community to talk about why abortion access matters. This is what a community looks like when we show up and we take care of each other, no matter what,” said Lynn McCann-Yeh, who shares BAF’s co-executive director role with Porsha Pinder.
“This is a powerful example of what we can do when we reach out to our community to talk about why abortion access matters.”
-Lynn McCann-Yeh, co-executive director of Baltimore Abortion Fund
Commitment to community has always been the driving force behind BAF’s work. Informed by intersectional and anti-racist values, the nonprofit — which strives to bring financial and logistical support to those in need of an abortion — was created in 2014 by volunteers at the D.C. Abortion Fund, many of whom lived in Baltimore and saw a need for increased access to abortions here.
Initially completely volunteer-run, BAF’s team grew in 2021 with Pinder and McCann-Yeh as its first two full-time hires. Today, the duo leads a staff of six and upwards of 100 dedicated volunteers. With additional resources, BAF has been able to broaden its reach beyond Baltimore City, working with 21 clinics to service all Maryland counties.
At BAF, making sure clients receive access to abortion care could look like almost anything.
“It’s not just funding for someone’s procedure, but also support with all of the other aspects that go into accessing health care and really trying to be expansive in the way that we provide those services. We’re trying to figure out what people need and get it to them,” McCann-Yeh said.
Staff work with volunteers to take incoming helpline calls Monday through Thursday, spending anywhere from five minutes to two weeks making sure that clients get to their appointments. Sometimes, this means financing vehicle repairs or booking hotel rooms for clients who are traveling to Maryland from other states. In several cases, clients have relied on BAF for meal stipends or flight arrangements.
Staff work with volunteers to take incoming helpline calls Monday through Thursday, spending anywhere from five minutes to two weeks making sure that clients get to their appointments. Sometimes, this means financing vehicle repairs or booking hotel rooms for clients who are traveling to Maryland from other states.
“There have been times where we’ve provided child care for someone to be able to have a six-hour appointment. And there have been times where we have literally driven across the state to take someone to their appointment because it’s the only option they had,” Pinder said.
In addition to seeking support for abortion care, clients can also place orders for free contraceptive kits via BAF’s website. Kits, which will be available online when this service resumes after a summer hiatus, include condoms, pregnancy tests, water-based lube, and Plan B.
“We’ve gotten very creative over the last few years. We adapt to [client] needs and we aren’t firm in how we operate, because how we operate needs to be as flexible and movable as the times that we’re in.” Pinder said.
Last year, Gov. Wes Moore declared Maryland a “safe haven” for those seeking abortion care, announcing the release of over $3 million in state funding to increase abortion training. This past February, Moore announced additional investments, granting the University of Maryland, Baltimore $10.6 million to administer the state’s Abortion Care Clinical Training Program.
Of course, things were not always this optimistic. Almost two years ago, the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision resulted in the end of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision ensuring the constitutional right to an abortion. Restrictions and bans in other states — many as a result of Roe’s erasure in 2022 — led to a steep increase in travelers to Maryland, where abortion is legal before a pregnancy is viable, meaning that a fetus has a high survivability rate. Typically, this milestone occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy, or 25 weeks gestation. It is also legal after viability if deemed medically necessary or in cases of fetal anomaly, marked by abnormal or unexpected conditions in a fetus’ development.
In the year following Roe v. Wade’s overruling, Nicole Devlin, Planned Parenthood of Maryland’s director of abortion services, said the nonprofit’s clinics administered 45% more abortions than in the previous year. With Florida’s recent ban prohibiting abortion after six weeks gestation, she expects this to continue.
In the year following Roe v. Wade’s overruling, Nicole Devlin, Planned Parenthood of Maryland’s director of abortion services, said the nonprofit’s clinics administered 45% more abortions than in the previous year. With Florida’s recent ban prohibiting abortion after six weeks gestation, she expects this to continue.
“There’s obviously been a huge demand, and we’re expecting even more,” said Devlin.
Pinder said that BAF has seen a similar increase in out-of-state clients since Roe’s departure.
“The reality is that people have always traveled for abortion. It’s been happening prior to now and will continue to happen for the foreseeable future,” she said.
Nevertheless, she doesn’t see it as sustainable for BAF’s clients — or realistic for Maryland.
“The thing that’s been really hard is this idea that Maryland is safe and that everything is functioning in the way that it needs to,” Pinder said. “I think that’s just not true. ‘Legal’ does not mean accessible. As long as abortion is restricted anywhere, it’s not really accessible. And it’s not really safe for people to travel somewhere for an abortion and then go home where it’s criminalized.”
Pinder notes that even clients based in Maryland encounter barriers to care. This rings true for a number of BAF’s clients on the Eastern Shore, many of whom drive for hours to visit the nearest Planned Parenthood clinic in Easton.
Before Maryland can truly be considered a “safe haven” for abortions, BAF hopes to see abortion care facilities and providers distributed more evenly throughout the state.
“Recognizing that abortion care is part of reproductive care and incorporating it into health care facilities as such — in addition to the wonderful independent clinics and providers that just specialize in abortion care — is really needed,” McCann-Yeh said.
For BAF — which raised $5,000 at the recent Blossom Bash event, bringing this year’s Fund-a-Thon total to $133,000 — so are donations.
“One of the things that we have seen — and that has been reflected in the experiences of many abortion funds across the country — is that community support really swelled when Roe was overturned and we were having this moment of national reckoning. While community support was really wonderful to see in that moment of crisis, donations and support have not really kept up with our demands in the years since,” McCann-Yeh said.
With volunteer sign-ups at full capacity, McCann-Yeh says the best way to support BAF is through monthly contributions.
“This gives us a really solid and predictable base of support so that we can continue building out our programs and services and continue to meet the needs of our increasing volume of clients,” she added.
For the rest of May, BAF’s busy team will be taking a much-needed rest before working upcoming events such as Baltimore Pride.
“This work can be really challenging,” Pinder said. “It can be very draining on you, and I think the fact that we have been able to do it during some of the most challenging times for [abortion care] access over the last decade has been really incredible. I’m really proud of the resiliency of our organization and of our community. Every time I look backwards, it just makes me so much more motivated to look ahead.”
McCann-Yeh couldn’t agree more.
“I’m really proud of the amount of money that we’ve been able to get out the door in the form of funding for abortion care and practical support, how we’ve been able to scale that, and how we’re continuing to scale that. We’re showing in real time that it’s possible to create an alternative community of care and an alternative way of being humans in this world, and that we can disrupt some of these forms of systemic oppression that have been in our institution for a long time,” McCann-Yeh said.
She acknowledges that BAF isn’t the first abortion fund — in fact, far from it — to lend these supports.
“This way of looking out for each other and caring for community has been present for a long time in Black and brown communities who have had to work outside of the systems that are in place,” McCann-Yeh said. “I’m really proud to be a part of that. And I’m really proud to continue building off of that and hopefully being able to do more in the years to come.”
The thrill that she and Pinder get from ensuring clients have a choice to take on parenthood is unlike any other. McCann-Yeh hopes donors recognize the power that abortions have to change lives for the better.
“I think oftentimes, people associate abortion with something that is negative, tragic or full of regret,” McCann-Yeh said. “And while abortion can be those things for people, there’s a whole range of what it can mean for someone to have an abortion that can include relief, peace and joy. As an abortion fund, we feel a lot of joy in being able to support, uplift and affirm our clients’ decision-making, affirm the power that they have, and support them in making decisions that are best for themselves, for their families and their futures.”
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