IN 2026, ABORTION IS UNDER ATTACK.
Looking back to look forward:
In the 1990s, a decade-long conservative White House dealt a brutal blow to abortion access. When the Supreme Court granted states the power to restrict abortion care through parental consent laws, mandatory waiting periods, and gag orders, musicians rallied around feminist issues through the first Rock for Choice concert.
In 2026, the White House, Senate, and House are all hostile to abortion access. In just the past year, DC has weathered a full-frontal, conservative takeover of our home—a federal takeover of DC MPD, ICE occupation, increased threats to DC Home Rule, a loss of sanctuary city status, and federal layoffs initiating financial insecurity throughout the city. Things are, by all accounts, not great.
We can’t solve everything. But we can rally together, build community, and distribute mutual aid to DC residents in need.
Our right to bodily autonomy…
depends on DC’s right to local autonomy.
DC is a current haven for abortion access, providing care for those within the DC region and those traveling to the area. But until DC becomes a state, our right to bodily autonomy is never guaranteed.
Under the District Clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17), Congress can stick their noses into virtually all DC affairs. Congress reviews all DC legislation—and can modify or change that legislation—before it becomes law. As history has shown, the same people who don’t respect the District’s right to self-governance are the same people who don’t respect our rights to govern our own bodies.
Members of Congress have already limited DC Home Rule, thanks to the President our city is forced to host. They’ve already taken over all three branches of government, local police, our neighborhoods and streets. They’ve dented our local economy, harmed and kidnapped our neighbors, and empowered extremists along the way. We’re not sure what the Trump administration will do next in this conservative, anti-immigrant, anti-abortion project. But we know this much: Our rights won’t be safe unless DC can govern itself.
Keep your laws off our city and off our bodies.
WHY DC IS A CURRENT HAVEN FOR ABORTION ACCESS
✓ No parental consent laws.
✓ All-trimester abortion care.
✓ Top-tier doctors and medical care.
✓ No waiting periods.
✓ A safe haven for anyone traveling to the area for an abortion.
✓ The only region in the Southeast with zero abortion bans (read: legal at every trimester!).
✓ The only region in the Mid Atlantic with zero abortion restrictions.
✓ A transportation hub for people across the nation and globe (the DMV has three major commercial airports, an Amtrak station, the Metro system, and six main Interstate routes).
WHY ABORTION ACCESS IS NEVER GUARANTEED WITHOUT STATEHOOD
X No state constitution to ratify the right to abortion care.
X Congress can overturn any DC legislation supporting abortion access (or any legislation, period).
X The Dornan Amendment prevents DC from using its own Medicaid dollars for abortion care.
X Some conservative congressmen—with the support of our 47th president—have already vowed to eliminate abortion access in DC (Looking at you, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and Andrew Clyde).
X The Hyde Amendment blocks federal dollars from being used toward abortion care.
X Our District status (not state) keeps local government from preventing things like federal occupation, martial law, and state violence against D.C. residents.
New year, same b.s.
HOW ANTI-ABORTION CONSERVATIVES EXPLOIT LOOPHOLES TO ENDANGER OUR COMMUNITIES.
Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights have won every single election. (Even if a certain state’s 60% ratification rule says otherwise.) With the looming ‘26 election—and abortion rights batting 1,000 on the ballot—even the most extreme conservative candidates are trying to distance themselves from anti-abortion rhetoric (while still championing anti-abortion, anti-family, and anti-community policies).
Harmful laws are built on fragile loopholes—and conservatives count on us not seeing the connections. But DCAF knows that abortion access is inseparable from other issues: class, race, zip code, and more impact the work we do, every day. As conservatives angle for a national abortion ban, we need to sharpen our analysis—not just think deeper, but wider about abortion access.
To cut through the noise, here’s DCAF’s “power map” of the threats to reproductive justice in the DMV region.
ATTACKS ON TRANS FOLKS = ATTACKS ON BODILY AUTONOMY
Gender-affirming care is reproductive justice.
In 2026, our trans communities are under vicious attack—not only by the Trump Administration, but in hostile state legislatures across the country. From hostile passport policies creating an effective travel ban for trans citizens, to Kansas’ SB63 banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, to the Tennessee legislature’s public trans tracker (yes, we’re serious)... It’s clear that trans folks are being scapegoated. Instead of our government providing the basics to working people, decision-makers are working overtime to convince us that creating barriers to trans health care will benefit the average American. Newsflash: It won’t.
We know that trans rights are reproductive rights, and we see threats to gender-affirming care mirroring threats to abortion access in the states. They’re using the same playbook to incrementally roll back our bodily autonomy from all angles. In fact, this summer’s SCOTUS docket includes two cases meant to keep trans girls out of women’s sports. (Trans women are women, full stop—learn more at ACLU to understand the stakes of this summer’s cases.)
If more states follow Kansas’ lead, then the future of trans care be forced to follow the model of abortion funds. We’re proud of the work we do, but we know abortion funds are band-aid solutions to systemic problems. Trans people deserve to get the abortion and gender-affirming care they need in their home communities, but as these attacks continue, we must rise in solidarity with our queer and trans siblings. No matter what comes next, no matter what support looks like, abortion funds like DCAF will be there.
ABORTION STIGMA—PERIOD
Since the dawn of time, humans have helped each other have abortions.
People have always gotten abortions: they drank teas, chewed pomegranate rinds, sipped fennel juice, or took herbal suppositories of juniper, myrrh, or Queen Anne’s Lace. In short, abortion is nothing new. Abortion stigma, however, is.
While stigma (led by anti-abortion extremists and the 1800s Catholic Church) has society convinced there are “right” and “wrong” reasons to get an abortion, DCAF proud to honor and support every abortion-seeker in making the best decision for them. We fund complex abortion procedures, but we also fund the “boring,” run-of-the-mill abortions. As experts, we know first-hand that people get abortions for a variety of reasons, and all of them are valid. They might not want to have another child right now, might be in a relationship they don’t want to be in, or might (big surprise) just not want to be pregnant right now. Sometimes you get an abortion just because you want one—everything else is no one’s business but yours.
In the words of the ever-hilarious Zara Larsson: “Why do you feel like abortion is only okay when it’s a very hard decision, when it’s something that women have to struggle with going through, when it’s emotionally or physically painful?” To that we say: Boots!
NO REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE UNDER OCCUPATION
DC has been under federal occupation since August 2025.
Last August, the Trump Administration invoked Section 740 of the Home Rule Act. This placed the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal command, deployed more than 800 National Guard troops—along with FBI and ICE agents—to patrol our streets, and instituted a needless emergency order and curfew upon DC residents.
This militarized occupation claimed to “liberate” the people of DC from “crime.” Instead, it resulted in over 10,000 people kidnapped from their homes and communities by ICE. Our neighbors are now suffering in ICE detention centers: including those close by in Virginia, or hotspots like San Benito, Texas or South Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz.”
This is not liberation; this is terror.
Meanwhile, DC residents have reported excessive police, ICE, and federal agent presence during traffic stops. Black and Brown DC residents continue to experience harassment and intimidation, based solely on their skin color, accent, or spoken language. All DC residents—all of us—are afraid just to go outside. And the DC government still pays a million dollars a day to keep the National Guard in our city…until 2029. This occupation is what the federal government has used our tax dollars for, and these are the new barriers DCAF’s callers must navigate when getting an abortion in DC. (Check out our guide to safe travel to DC here!)
ENDLESS FUNDING FOR ENDLESS WARS
The people are not the priority of our government.
The federal government dropped $11.8M in only the first week of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. The U.S. Military had already, in January, approved an $800M budget for 2026. That amount is only expected to grow, as ribeye steaks, flute performances, and surf-and-turf dinners are doled out for military service members.
While U.S. decision-makers are more than happy to fund endless, illegal wars in both hemispheres, they continue to prohibit Medicaid and other federally-funded insurance from covering abortion care. The Hyde and DC-specific Dornan Amendments keep tax dollars from ever covering abortion care, regardless of DC’s support for abortion access. These classist, racist policies lead many abortion-seekers to DCAF; despite living in a city with pro-abortion policies on the books, DC residents on public insurance rely on their local abortion fund.
According to our latest data, it would only cost ~$9.5M per year for DCAF to fully fund every single one of our callers’ abortions. Why is it that our government is more willing to fund the carpet-bombing of Isfahan, or the deaths of ventilator patients in Havana...than to fund abortions for their own people? We could answer in more ways than one, but we believe reproductive justice means divesting from the war machine, and investing in mutual aid. We call on our community to fund abortion, not war.
DC: SANCTUARY NO LONGER
Can DC truly be a safe haven... if our city no longer has sanctuary status?
DC Abortion Fund has long described our city as a safe haven for abortion seekers—no matter your zip code, gestational age, or what’s in your wallet. But in May 2025, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser moved to repeal our sanctuary city status, or DC’s municipal protection of undocumented immigrants. As of August 2025, DC’s sanctuary city status has been revoked; this has already ravaged and endangered our vibrant immigrant communities, resulting in 10,000 DC residents kidnapped during the city’s ICE occupation.
This loss also endangers the thousands of abortion-seekers who travel to our nation’s capital, each year, to access abortion care. While our protective abortion laws make us a haven for care, the city’s terrorizing of immigrant communities keep us from being able to call DC “safe” for those who come here. A safe haven cannot only be for white abortion-seekers, or abortion-seekers with citizenship status. A safe haven is for everyone.
Occupation and loss of sanctuary status are threats to abortion access, and threats to the hearts of our communities. We all need a sanctuary to thrive—we hope, someday, DC can be that again.
SILOING LATER ABORTION CARE
DCAF holds down later abortion care: not only in the Mid-Atlantic, but across the nation.
There are only 7 clinics in the United States where abortion-seekers can get care after 28 weeks. Three of those clinics are right here in the DC region; because DC has no gestational age limits, this vicinity makes DC THE access point for later care. Furthermore, DCAF’s reputation for expertly navigating complex cases led to us funding two later care clinics outside our region. In short: If you’re getting an abortion after 28 weeks in the United States, we will likely help you fund it. (Yay!)
Here’s the rub: These appointments not only cost the most (up to $25K), but face the most stigma. But callers come to us after 28 weeks for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they have received new information about their pregnancy. Sometimes their abortion has been delayed because of state bans and restrictions, or financial struggles. And other times, it’s for neither of those reasons. The bottom line is: Why someone gets an abortion is not our business.
This stigma behind later abortion care has real-world impacts. State ballot measures meant to codify abortion rights tend to leave out care after 28 weeks, which siloes these cases under the guise of compromise. Only 9 states (plus DC) have no ban on abortion based on gestational age.
When the state looks for any reason to punish pregnant people for something that happens to their bodies, the antidote is to offer them dignity, support and care– no questions asked. We are here to provide funding and support—no exceptions.
SYSTEMS fail us. But our community? They have always, will always, rally behind us.
-
Unlike many nonprofits, abortion funds—like DCAF—survive almost entirely through the generosity of our community. Due to the Hyde Amendment, abortion funds cannot receive federal funding (coupled with the Dornan Amendment, it’s a double loss for DCAF). AND due to the stigma surrounding abortion care, very few corporations, insurance companies, or philanthropic foundations are willing to sponsor abortion access.
So shoutout to all of you reading this—our incredible network of modern day Janes. Each year, you help thousands of callers access the care they need. Thank you.
-
Free DC is a renewed campaign to protect Home Rule and win lasting dignity for our communities, grown from the former #HandsOffDC coalition. Organizers work to raise awareness about Home Rule, and build the cultural and political movement it will take to win self-governance. Per Free DC, “The people of DC are joyful, powerful, and we deserve the right to govern ourselves.”
-
The DC Public Library offers free educational resources to the 700,000+ people residing in DC. With free workshops, classes, resume clinics, peer outreach programs, and digital and print books, the library is an invaluable resource to the city.
Pro tip: You can get COVID tests and NARCAN at your local DCPL!
-
My Body My Festival wouldn’t exist without Alex Hamburger, the multi-talented force behind Burger Sounds. Alex entered DCAF’s world in the way so many friends of the fund have: In the wake of abortion bans and the overturn of Roe v. Wade, she fought back by lending her talent to her local abortion fund. From that seed grew this festival, a labor of love we hope to continue, year after year.
Alex, we couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for bringing the music—to abortion funding, to your hometown, and to DCAF. View the Burger Sounds website here.
-
In 2026, DCAF and Burger Sounds teamed up with Noise For Now: A national nonprofit connecting artists and entertainers with local, reproductive justice efforts. After three, scrappy years of self-production, the MBMF team is forever grateful to Noise For Now for expanding our reach, our audience, and our ability to fund abortions through music. Thank you for bringing new energy, more capacity, and lots of fun to our fourth annual My Body My Festival!
-
Shoutout to our fellow abortion funds holding up access in the DMV region with grit, Scotch tape, and elbow grease (even when faced with changing legislation, domestic terrorist attacks, and death threats from anti-abortion activists). Even in this region, which has more clinics per capita than anywhere else in the country, it’s not enough. We simply don’t have enough clinics, providers, or appointments to support every person who is now traveling to the DC region for care.
Please consider donating to Abortion Fund of Maryland, Blue Ridge Abortion Fund, Hampton Roads Reproductive Justice League, and Richmond Reproductive Freedom Fund.
-
The DC branch of the American Civil Liberties Union is a human rights organization acting in the best interest of our community. Currently, they’re running campaigns to grant DC statehood (thereby protecting abortion access), revamp DC crisis response hotlines, and launch police-free schools.
-
A special shoutout to Chelsea Kelly, our pro bono graphic designer. In response to the overturn of Roe, Chelsea designed DCAF an entirely new logo and branding suite, which we released in June 2023. Chelsea teamed up with us again to design our latest zine, “What the F*ck Happened?,” and kept the vibes going by designing our incredible My Body My Festival brand. Her artwork will be available in a variety of mediums for all our guests and community members to enjoy.
Chelsea, your talent and generosity is unparalleled. Thank you for bringing so much love to this work and to DCAF.
-
Local copywriting and web design duo, Kara McCartney and Jules Devita (aka Studio Four), are the pro-abortion force behind MyBodyMyFestival.com. Made up of DC residents and DCAF superfans, Kara and Jules translate DCAF’s vital work into web design masterpieces, meant to reach more callers and more donors than ever before. Kara and Jules launched the rebranded DCAbortionFund.org in June 2023, and continues to support DCAF for any and all of our web needs.
Kara and Jules, you bring our dreams to life—on and offline. Thank you for being on our team. View their work here.
-
Shoutout to Jade Hurley, our web design consultant and all-around friend of the Festival! Jade has been a vital part of the My Body My Festival production team since our very first year; as DCAF’s Communications Manager, she led social media promotion, wheatpasting, and media strategy. After relocating to the Midwest in 2024, Jade continued to support My Body My Festival as a narrative and website design consultant each year. Thanks, Jade!
View jadehurley.world here.