Testifying to the DC Council in support of abortion rights

Thursday, I had the opportunity to testify to the DC Council in support of two critical amendments that protect those who help abortion seekers in the District. Specifically, these amendments protect people who aid those who self-manage their abortions or those who help abortion seekers from out of state, especially from states where abortion is outlawed.

I spoke as someone who has been deeply involved with both self-managed abortion and practical support.

Watch my whole testimony below as well as the questions I answered from specific Councilmembers.

A transcript is below the video. 

Thank you, Chairman White and the DC Council for allowing me to add my testimony to today’s important hearing.

My name is Steph Black, and I am an abortion activist and writer here in Washington, DC. 

Since coming to DC in 2015, I have done a myriad of work relating to self-managed abortion and abortion access. My undergraduate thesis at American University centered on the need for the abortion rights movement to include self-managed abortion in our advocacy. 

I was trained by SASS USA as an abortion information educator and have personally educated dozens of people on the history, protocol, and landscape of self-managed abortion in America. On a regular basis, I receive direct messages on my various social media channels from people who are seeking information about self-managed abortion or are supporting their loved ones through self-managing an abortion. 

I am a Plan C fellow and ambassador. I am also a practical support volunteer which means I drive patients coming from all over the country to abortion clinics in and around Washington DC. 

I cannot express strongly enough the importance of being a reliable presence for abortion seekers, whether they come to me via social media or through a practical support collective. 

As States all across the country continue to roll back abortion rights, the need for accurate information, support, and community care has skyrocketed. While many people traveling for abortion care cannot bring their community with them, it’s an honor to be able to fill that role, even for a little while, while they access the abortion care they need. 

But not everyone is able to travel for abortion care. Those who choose to self-manage their abortions in the privacy of their own home also deserve support and respect from those who can give it to them. 

I have filled both of these roles, someone who facilitates out-of-state travel for abortion seekers and someone who supports those self-managing their abortions. 

Sometimes this work scares me. As much of an honor, it is to be trusted to hold space for abortion seekers in both of these capacities, the current political climate around abortion has never been more hostile. But the risk surrounding abortion is not a medical one, it is a legal one. 

Those having abortions should not have to do so alone. But those who aid them shouldn’t also have to worry about their legal risk. Everyone deserves to have an abortion with respect and dignity, and criminalizing the people who facilitate them is wrong. 

When I offer information and support for abortion seekers, my focus should solely be on them, not on whether or not I too could be prosecuted for the role I played. I, like many activists and volunteers I know, am going to continue to provide support regardless of the legal risk it presents to us. These two amendments are critical to protecting not only our well-being, but the well-being of the abortion seekers we aid as well. 

I urge you to pass the Enhancing Reproductive Health Protections Amendment Act of 2022 and the Human Rights Sanctuary Amendment Act of 2022. 

Thank you.