Why We Should All Double Our Donations to DCAF

July 5, 2018

Originally posted on dcabortionfund.org

Last week was an incredibly tough week for abortion rights advocates. With a devastating 5-4 loss in the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra and swing justice Anthony Kennedy retiring on July 31, the future of abortion access is one big question mark.

For those feeling helpless, I feel you. It’s daunting to think that the progress we’ve made in the 45 years since Roe v. Wade could be rolled back with a majority anti-choice court. Whether that rollback looks like a full reversal of Roe v. Wade or incremental losses like the NIFLA decision, the message is clear: we can’t depend on the Supreme Court to uphold abortion access.

With the courts in jeopardy and an anti-choice Congress, community organizations like the DC Abortion Fund are even more essential. There’s already a multitude of national and local restrictions on abortion care, and it’s not hard to predict that things will most likely get worse. If restrictions continue to increase without check in our judicial system, we must take it upon ourselves to ensure that folks are able to access abortion care, regardless of financial or physical barriers.

Organizations like DCAF will be front and center in providing financial help, especially if  resources are stretched even thinner to account for the inevitable influx of pregnant people seeking procedures. If Roe falls and there is no longer a federal right to abortion, it’s likely that even more people will have to travel to places like Maryland—which guarantee a right to abortion under state law—to get the care they need.   

If you are financially able, I encourage you to make a recurring or one-time donation to DCAF. Truly, every little bit helps and will go a long way in these uncertain times.

That feeling of helplessness won’t go away completely, but we can do our part in making abortion a little more possible.