Abortion Support Statement

Politicized. Private. Necessary. Healthcare. Complex. Emotional. Reproductive Justice.  Choice. Stigmatized. Controversial. Compassionate. Informed. Guidance. Safety. Equitable. 

These were some of the words that were invoked when Doulas of Capitol Hill joined together with our sister company, Doulas of Prince George’s County, to understand our collective beliefs about the topic of Abortion. The words from the word-cloud may not represent an individual's personal beliefs, but rather are words that came to mind when thinking of “Abortion.”  In the same way we, as a community are not monoliths, we support the variety of client experiences we might be encountering.

From January through June, our team members joined together to collaborate and craft a series of statements to reflect our beliefs, the most central to these being our addition to our Statement of Belief and Inclusivity, which is a foundational document to our companies core values. We worked with Steph Black, a DC local, a writer, activist, feminist, abortion educator and abortion doula, to help guide and facilitate our process.

We then offered complementary training on Holding Space for Abortion to any of our team members who wanted to take it, whether they planned to use the training to provide abortion doula services, or simply to become more informed and aware about the topic and the role. Over half of our team accessed the complementary training!

To our Statement of Belief we have added:

Abortion is morally neutral and everyone who needs or wants an abortion should be able to access one safely. 

To our community we share the following:

We believe:

• Abortion is morally neutral and everyone who needs or wants an abortion should be able to access one. 

• Abortion doulas are an integral part of compassionate, informed abortion care. 

• Everyone has a right to choose if and when to give birth and parent.

We acknowledge:

• Accessing abortion care for marginalized communities is not only challenging but sometimes dangerous. Racism, misogyny, bigotry, classism, and other intersections, affect who is able to receive care. 

• Attitudes, beliefs, and emotions about abortion exist on a continuum, and people may hold space for multiple, or seemingly opposing emotions at one time or at various times. A variety of emotions may arise around abortion, some positive, some negative. Abortion can be the right choice but still be a devastating one and/or abortion can be a joyful and healing experience and/or abortion can be routine and neutral. 

• The legal landscape is constantly shifting and We are not abortion-health care providers, but we are committed to holding space, within our scope of practice, for those who seek abortion.

We commit to:

• Supporting our clients in seeking a pregnancy termination for any reason, at any time throughout their pregnancy. 

• Holding space for birthing people who have had abortions, people seeking abortions, and those who have complicated feelings about abortion. 

• Offering Abortion Doula support package for those who are seeking non-medical, non-judgemental physical, emotional, and informational support. 

As the legal landscape continues to change, we become more aware of the need to be clear that we are supportive of people who want or need abortion care, as well as to align with team members who share the same values. Some businesses aren’t afraid to put yard signs out to express their beliefs.  We aren’t afraid to take a stance on complex topics. 

There have been parts of the country that have always been more restricted in access because of low income areas, Southern parts of the country, and rural areas. And at this time, some people are losing choice, as they knew it. 

Sofija Jovik, one of our birth and postpartum doulas who has spent many years in reproductive justice space, shares that “DC and Maryland are two of the only states in the US that are actively safe "destinations" for abortion care, with Maryland having two of the only third-tri/late-term clinics in the country. DC and Maryland have seen an increase in folks having to travel in for care.”

While a doulas role is entirely non-medical, but rather is physical support, emotional support, and informational support, we are committed to supporting our clients to safe and legal abortion in a continuously changing political landscape. We are not abortion-health care providers, but we are committed to holding space for abortion as healthcare for those who want or need one, within our non-medical scope of practice.

We invite the community to share Doulas of Capitol Hill as a resource for non-judgemental support for people seeking abortion care throughout the DC, VA, and MD area. 

This is all for information. It’s not intended to be medical advice.