Reproductive rights advocates and community members will gather Saturday, May 27 to celebrate the Louisiana Abortion Fund’s (LAAF’s) new chapter. Formerly known as the New Orleans Abortion Fund, the re-energized fund is committed to reproductive justice – the rights of all to determine if or when they will have children and the right to live and raise children in thriving communities.
The purpose of the fund is to assist community members as they overcome the economic and geographic barriers erected to prevent them from accessing abortion care. By providing low-barrier financial support for abortions, plus support for travel and childcare, LAAF invests in the liberation of all Louisianans.
LAFF Executive Director Chasity Wilson explained that since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision additional barriers to abortion care now exist. “In the same way that we care for our clients by helping them overcome financial barriers to care, our community has cared for us. This block party is a celebration of that care and a reminder that we all have a place here,” said Wilson. The struggle for reproductive justice includes “each and every one of us” because “we all deserve the right to determine if or when to become parents.” Wilson also believes that everyone deserves to have their basic needs met regarding housing, education, and healthcare, among others.
Joining LAAF for this celebration will be such community groups as the Birthmark Doulas and the Louisiana Coalition on Criminalization and Health.
The work of the Louisiana Abortion Fund (LAAF) isn’t done in a vacuum. “Our role is to help our neighbors across the region overcome the financial barriers erected to prevent them from accessing abortion care,” said A.J. Haynes, Chair of LAAF’s Board of Directors. They also need engaged professionals like the Birthmark Doulas to help women, especially Black pregnant women and their partners navigate the birthing process in a state that is “infamously treacherous for Black expectant parents. “We need folks like the Reproductive Justice Action Collective to help get folks the information they need to take control of their own reproduction. We need folks like the Louisiana coalition for Reproductive Freedom demanding policy change. And we need our whole community united as we struggle to make reproductive justice a reality here in the Gulf South,” Haynes continued.
The block party will be held at the Andre Cailloux Center for Performing arts and Culture Justice, 2541 Bayou Road in the Treme neighborhood. The event will begin at 2 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. For more information visit louisianaabortionfund.org
