News

January 17th, 2023

Accountability, Healing, and the Path Forward

On January 17th, the National Day of Racial Healing and we are looking inward, examining past harms committed by the New Orleans Abortion Fund (NOAF), as we work to build an organization rooted in solidarity rather than charity, that centers the needs of Black, Brown, queer, and immigrant communities. An essential part of our rebuilding is addressing past harms and being transparent about what we’re doing to heal. 

Throughout NOAF’s history, the organization harmed communities it purported to serve through an ethos of white saviorism, and macro and micro aggressions committed against our most marginalized communities. NOAF disrespected and insulted clients, alienated or ignored Black and Brown people looking to get involved, and overworked and at times exploited staff, volunteers, and board members in a way that perpetuated the harms of racial capitalism. We apologize.

Over the last two years, we have embarked on a journey of transformation in an effort to build the kind of organization our communities deserve. We have: 

  • Restructured and rebuilt our board and staff so that it is more representative of the folks NOAF serves. Our majority-Black staff is rooted in the principles of Black feminism, are working to ground the organization in reproductive justice framework, and are dedicated to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of clients, staff, and volunteers. 

  • Transitioned from a mostly volunteer organization, dependent on folks overworking themselves, to an organization that compensates its workers and provides the time necessary for staff to take care of their physical, mental, and emotional needs. (Want to learn more about the centrality of rest in liberatory practice? Check out The Nap Ministry.)

  • Distributed more direct abortion support funds than 2020 and 2021 (stay on the lookout for our ‘22 annual report to find out just how much support we’ve distributed!)

This National Day of Racial Healing, we invite you to reflect on the ways you may have perpetuated oppression, been victim to oppression, and can disrupt systems of oppression while building a more liberated future. If you’ve supported this organization in the past and are curious about what it means to be an explicitly Black feminist organization rooted in the principles of reproductive justice, please stay on the lookout, as we’ll continue to share information about our work and resources for learning.

If you’re interested in joining us for the next steps in this journey, please stay on the lookout for big news on Thursday, February 9. 

Thank you for your grace as we grow and learn. Thank you for continuing to believe that together we can ensure our friends, neighbors, and community members can access the abortion care they need. Thank you for being in community with us. 

In solidarity, 

The New Orleans Abortion Fund staff and board 

P.S. This work is hard. Oppressive systems thrive off us getting too tired to continue and giving up altogether. Don’t do that! Care for yourself. Find beauty in this world, no matter how challenging it is. Need some help? Check out this playlist (on Apple too!) all about love, tenderness, and healing curated by our board chair AJ Haynes. 

Friday, June 24, 2022

New Orleans Abortion Fund Responds to SCOTUS Decision to Overturn Roe V. Wade

The New Orleans Abortion Fund is still here.

Fear is excitement without breath–and anxiety is fear without action. Here at NOAF, we are continuing to move with intention, breathing into our mission to fund abortions and taking direct action to address the demoralizing climate of reproductive care. In the immediate aftermath of this decision, we are prioritizing efforts to best serve our community. In order to do that, we have made two important decisions, 1) we will not be taking interviews at this time, and 2) we have closed our line in order to provide space for our Access Coordinators to take care of themselves. However, in response to today’s devastating ruling, we want to make a few things clear: 

  • Louisiana is one of 13 states with a trigger ban, making abortion illegal in the case of Roe v Wade being overturned. Louisiana’s legislation is an immediate ban on abortion due to today’s ruling. That means, if you have an abortion scheduled in Louisiana today or in the future, please contact your clinic for direction. 

  • In Louisiana, one of the most heightened battlegrounds for anti-reproductive health legislation, barriers to abortion have already created a post-Roe reality for many. And barriers to abortion disproportionately impact low-income, rural, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ communities, regardless of legality. 

  • For over a decade, NOAF has funded abortions. We are committed to our mission of funding abortions and assisting with abortion access in the Gulf South. Here is a copy of our annual report to help clarify the breadth of our work, which includes Practical Support (financial assistance to cover the various costs associated with receiving abortion care, such as travel, lodging, child care, etc.)

  • Although they are often overlooked, many local abortion funds operate across the United States and work together to increase abortion access across state lines. We are here and will continue to do this work.

Friday, March 11, 2022

New Orleans Abortion Fund Pauses Escort Program

NOAF’s Staff and Board has a responsibility to the people we serve, including our callers, volunteers, and partnered clinics. With that in mind, we have made the decision, in partnership with and with support from the Women’s Health Care Center, to pause the clinic escort program. This decision was not made lightly but has resulted in some swift negative feedback from our constituents, who have requested more information on our decision making process. We would like to take this opportunity to provide clarity.

Through many months of reflection, it has been determined that the state of the program is not sustainable. Additionally, several recent actions committed by some volunteers have made this decision necessary, such as the weaponizing of police, disrupting clinic operations, challenging and compromising clinic security, antagonizing protestors, and more. The escorts who dedicate their time and energy to serve at the clinic require top tier training, procedures, resources, and leadership that is invested in building a program reflective of the community we serve. We understand the passion and determination of the volunteers who wish to continue escorting, however, it is imperative that we rebuild the values and principles of this program with patients and the clinic at the forefront. The role of an escort is to be supportive to both patients and the clinic staff. Therefore, following the lead of the clinic and its needs is paramount to the success of this program.

We recognize the wide range of emotions that this decision has caused, but we ask for constructive collaboration instead of combativeness. We seek understanding and empathy instead of revolt and the spread of disinformation. We are working in conjunction with the clinic to ensure that the program can be rebuilt and sustained as the push against abortion access grows stronger. The clinic has incredible access to security and the tools needed to keep patients safe. It is harmful for any of us to assume we know better than the clinic of the clinic’s needs. We must trust them.

Lastly, it is important to note that while addressing all of the concerns around the escorting program, NOAF is still working diligently to maintain its primary and most critical function, which is to provide direct financial aide to people seeking abortion care. We deeply appreciate those who continue to support this mission.

Anyone who is interested in additional context can read a letter written by our Escort Coordinator, Leigh Callahan, to request that NOAF leadership pause the escort program. Leigh has agreed to make this letter available to the public.