In the months following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, progressive cities and states across the country raced to establish themselves as “havens” or “sanctuaries” for people seeking abortion care. Twelve states, including Maryland, and Washington, D.C., have since passed laws to make abortion more accessible by strengthening legal protections, shielding providers and patients from litigation, and — in some cases — setting aside state funding for abortion seekers.
As an organization working to expand abortion access in one of these so-called safe havens, we can definitively say that putting our faith in sanctuary states is a mistake.
For nearly a decade, the Baltimore Abortion Fund has operated a confidential helpline to support people who need abortion care. While we fielded a record-breaking 5,280 calls in the six months following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there were simultaneously 32,260 fewer abortions in the United States overall. The drop was driven by states that have banned abortion care, especially across the deep South, where access has been severely restricted. Meanwhile, sanctuary states that strengthened protections for abortion saw a comparably small rise in care.
This data reflects what we witness daily when we answer our helpline: The protections of sanctuary states are out of reach for those who need them most.
For many of the clients we work with, traveling for abortion care is a financial and logistical nightmare. Our average out-of-state caller has an abortion that costs $8,347, an expense that 87% of people living in restricted states will pay for out-of-pocket. This is especially shocking when you consider that more than half of Americans are unable to afford an unplanned expense of $1,000 or more. Many of our clients will have to call multiple sources of financial support — telling their personal stories over and over again — in order to fundraise the full cost of their care, sometimes up until the day of their appointments.
They also need to arrange travel, accommodation, meals and time off from work, which is often unpaid. Travel expenses can range from $50 for a bus ticket, to over $1,000 for flights and hotels. Many of our clients have never left their hometown before — let alone their state — and are suddenly forced to board a plane or drive across the country for the first time. On top of the stress of being away from home, there’s the fear of what will happen when they return. Many will live with the constant worry that someone will find out about their abortion and try to prosecute them for seeking medical care.
Even within the borders of sanctuary states, there are pervasive barriers to abortion access. More than half of the clients we support are Maryland residents, who still must fight for access to care because of cost, transportation and other issues, despite their state protected legal rights. Over the last year, the Baltimore Abortion Fund has provided more than $400,000 in financial support to Marylanders who could not afford their care.
It also can be extremely difficult to get an abortion without reliable transportation. Most Maryland clinics are concentrated in the Baltimore and D.C. metro areas, which can be a two- or three-hour drive for rural residents of Western Maryland or the Eastern Shore. Even in Baltimore, people often can’t get to their appointment without a ride. Appointments with sedation or anesthesia require an escort home, and taking public transit is not a viable option. Our staff and volunteers have driven to every corner of our state to provide over 240 rides to Maryland residents in the past year.
For far too many people, sanctuary states are inadequate. The safety that they claim to offer is meaningless when their legal protections are unreachable, fleeting and insufficient even for their own residents. To put our faith into sanctuary states as the solution for our current crisis is dangerously shortsighted. We can no longer accept a reality where half of Americans are denied reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy and the right to decide their futures. Instead of believing in sanctuary, we must act in solidarity.
That means continuing to fight for a future where abortion isn’t just legally protected — it’s accessible, affordable and destigmatized. We must:
-- Unlearn the pervasive stigma that still surrounds abortion care;
-- Understand that there are many reasons to get an abortion, and every single one is valid;
-- Say the word abortion;
-- Talk with our loved ones and community about why abortion is an important, common and necessary form of health care;
-- Reject politicians who espouse reproductive control or coercion;
-- Donate directly to local abortion funds to both pay for someone’s health care and invest in the work of reproductive justice.
This is what we must do, today and every day, until we build a future where there are no barriers to abortion care. Because until abortion is liberated, our sanctuaries are nothing but a hollow promise.
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ABOUT THE WRITERS
Lynn McCann-Yeh and Porsha Pinder are Co-Directors of the Baltimore Abortion Fund (BAF), a community-based nonprofit organization that provides financial and logistical support to people seeking abortion care in Maryland. If you need support with an abortion, please call BAF’s confidential helpline at (443) 853-8445 or visit baltimoreabortionfund.org.
