The Baltimore Abortion Fund has rebranded and unveiled its new name, the Abortion Fund of Maryland, to better reflects its role as a lifeline for abortion care across the entire state of Maryland and beyond.
The organization, formerly known as “BAF,” has been a fixture in the Baltimore reproductive rights and health community and across Maryland for more than a decade. Through fundraising, legislative advocacy, and an expansive volunteer network, the Abortion Fund of Maryland provides financial help and logistical support for people seeking abortion care.
The new name reflects the growing geographic and numeric impact increasing restrictions on abortion rights continue to have. The fund supports callers every year from Maryland and around the country and world.
“Our new name, the Abortion Fund of Maryland, reflects a fundamental truth: we are a vital resource for the entire state,” said Lynn McCann-Yeh, co-executive director of the Abortion Fund of Maryland, in a statement. “People across Maryland, and increasingly from across the country, turn to us for support. As relentless attacks on abortion care escalate nationwide, it is more critical than ever that people know safe, supportive abortion care is available here in Maryland.”
While Baltimore will always be the main city in the organization’s origin story, most people the fund supports now come from every corner of Maryland and from other states. The numbers bear that out.
Since the fund began, it has provided financial and logistical support to more than 9,000 callers, including Maryland residents and people who travel to Maryland for care. This includes people from the Baltimore metropolitan area, each of Maryland’s 23 counties, all 50 states, and more than 10 countries. More than half of the clinics and hospitals with whom the fund is partnered now are located outside the Baltimore area.
The fund has also worked with abortion providers, policymakers, and community members this legislative session to launch a public health abortion grant program in Maryland that is the first of its kind. In May 2025, Gov. Wes Moore signed a law that creates the program, promising up to $25 million for people seeking abortion care in Maryland using existing and unspent premiums for abortion coverage. The funding can be used whether a person has insurance coverage or not.
“From answering hotline calls to coordinating travel, our powerful, statewide network of volunteers allows us to meet the moment and ensure no one has to face barriers to care alone,” said Amee Vora, board member of the Abortion Fund of Maryland. “This rebrand to the Abortion Fund of Maryland proudly represents the collective effort of every single volunteer who powers this work from across the state.”
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case, abortion care demand has surged in Maryland. Roughly one-third of the people seeking care in Maryland have traveled from outside the state to get it. The fund has nearly quadrupled its support in just two years. In 2021 it distributed $250,000, and in 2023 that number rose to over $1 million.
After Dobbs, Maryland voters approved adding an amendment to the state constitution enshrining the right to abortion care and reproductive rights in general. The Center for Reproductive Rights wrote, “the Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment, a constitutional amendment that enshrines the right to reproductive freedom, includ[es] making decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s pregnancy.” The Guttmacher Institute characterizes Maryland as “very protective” of reproductive health and access.
