Access to abortion is on the line like never before. Here in California, we’re preparing for an increase of up to 1.4 million women and other pregnant people who may have to leave their homes and drive to our state for abortion care. The good news is, we have a robust infrastructure in place to respond to our communities’ needs and support people who need abortions. While California recently announced that it will be a safe haven for those seeking abortion if the Supreme Court significantly guts Roe v. Wade next year, I constantly need to remind people that for as long as I can remember, and since before Roe was decided in the first place, there has been a network of abortion funds, practical support volunteers, and advocates who already work tirelessly to make every community a safe haven for those seeking access to abortion.
As the Black leader of Access Reproductive Justice, a statewide abortion fund that has been serving Californians for almost 30 years, the majority of whom also identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, I’m troubled when I hear folks, in particular, privileged white women, try to reinvent the wheel and “solve” the problem of abortion access. This instinct demonstrates a pervasive unawareness and disinterest in learning about and working with the nation’s foremost experts on abortion access—the abortion funds that day in and day out help our communities navigate the hostile restrictions and harsh barriers designed to prevent people from getting abortions. What’s more, abortion funds are largely led by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people, and the notion that our country needs a new “Underground Railroad” of sorts is a blatant erasure of our work and leadership.