About
We Testify is an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions, increasing the spectrum of abortion storytellers in the public sphere, and shifting the way the media understands the context and complexity of accessing abortion care. We Testify invests in abortion storytellers to elevate their voices and expertise, particularly those of color, those from rural and conservative communities, those who are queer-identified, those with varying abilities and citizenship statuses, and those who needed support when navigating barriers while accessing abortion care.
We Testify unapologetically believes that people who have abortions are our future. We believe that everyone who has abortions deserves unconditional love and support. We believe that people who have abortions deserve to be in every space where decisions are being made. To borrow from the disability justice movement, there should be nothing about us without us. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.
Latest Updates
‘Call Jane’
There are so many ways that you can be a Jane today, whether it’s donating to your local abortion fund, sharing your abortion stories, showing up for your loved ones who need abortions, or voting like your rights depend on it. After seeing Call Jane, here are a few ways you and your besties can get involved!
Digital Stickers
It’s time we have fun and loving digital stickers and GIFs that look like those of us who have abortions and reflect our real experiences. We created digital stickers and GIFs for you to use to show up for your loved ones who’ve had abortions and remind everyone that they love someone who had abortions—maybe that someone is you!
Self-Managed Abortion Comics
To change the conversation, the We Testify abortion storytellers partnered with artists who’ve had abortions to illustrate their stories. Read and learn more about why we chose to self-manage our abortions.
Staff
Renee Bracey Sherman
she/her
Founder & Executive Director
Renee Bracey Sherman is an award-winning reproductive justice activist with a decade of experience as an abortion storyteller, strategist, and writer. She founded We Testify in 2016 and became its executive director in 2020. She is also executive producer of Ours to Tell, We Testify and Planned Parenthood’s award-winning documentary elevating the voices of people who’ve had abortions.
Nikiya Natale, JD
she/her
Deputy Director
Nikiya Natale is an activist, an attorney, and an abortion storyteller with extensive experience in social justice work. Prior to joining We Testify, she was the Advocacy and Outreach Director with TEA Fund. Nikiya previously worked as the Legal Director for a local civil rights and advocacy organization, ran her own legal practice focusing on asylum law, and managed the immigration legal program at a refugee resettlement agency. Nikiya's passion for the work stems from her own multiple abortion experiences.
Emma Hernández
she/her
Communications Manager
Emma Hernández is an experienced bilingual program director, project manager and multimedia artist with a demonstrated history of working in library, government & non-profit communications. She is an abortion storyteller, 2020 Planned Parenthood Youth Power Fellow, 2018 Library Journal Mover & Shaker and holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from Indiana University as a Sam Masarachia scholar — an innovative course of study focused on labor, older adult, and community activism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is We Testify?
We Testify is an organization supporting people who’ve had abortions to share their stories, particularly those of color, those from rural and conservative communities, those who are queer-identified, those with varying abilities and citizenship statuses, and those who needed support when navigating barriers while accessing abortion care. We Testify works with individual abortion storytellers to share their stories, as well as lead campaigns to change the conversation about who has abortion and why, and to address abortion stigma in our communities.
What does We Testify believe?
We Testify believes that everyone who has abortions deserves to be loved, supported, and uplifted during their experience. We support everyone’s decision to have an abortion at any time and for any reason. We Testify believes that the conversation about abortion should be led by and center people who’ve had abortions’ experiences, feelings, desires, and vision for abortion access. Abortion access is our legacy and we are the ones to carry it forward for generations to come.
How do I become an abortion storyteller?
If you’re sharing your abortion stories, you’re already an abortion storyteller! Due to limited staff capacity, we’re only able to offer support to storytellers within the We Testify cohorts, but we hope to open up the next cohort for applications in the near future. For now, you can share your abortion stories on our website and with your community.
How does We Testify support abortion storytellers?
We Testify supports abortion storytellers by offering hands on emotional and logistical support when they share their abortion stories. That can look like preparation for a rally speech, debriefing after a storytelling experience, opportunities to think through what parts of their story they’d like to speak publicly about, and support during anti-abortion harassment and bullying.
Why does We Testify compensate storytellers?
We Testify believes in economic justice, the value of all labor—including emotional labor—and that storytelling is labor. We believe that storytellers should be compensated for the hard work they put into preparing for speaking engagements, sharing their stories, and reimbursed for distances they have to travel to participate in abortion access events. We know that having an abortion does not solve the issue of poverty and some people need to be compensated for their time in order to be able to continue to care for their families. Unfortunately some people are only able to engage in volunteerism if they have disposable income and time so by compensating storytellers, we are valuing their time, their craft, and ensuring that more people—not only those from wealthier backgrounds—have the ability to engage and share their voice in our movement.
Can I interview a storyteller or have a storyteller speak at my event?
Yes! We Testify storytellers are available for interviews. Please fill out this contact form or email us at media@wetestify.org to tell us if you’re interested in chatting with a specific storyteller, someone who faced specific abortion barriers, or just want speak with a storyteller about their experience.
How can I support We Testify?
Thank you for your interest in generously supporting We Testify. We Testify is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in New York City, NY. Our EIN is 13-3191113. You can make donations via our website at wetestify.org/donate. If you would like to inquire about making a wire transfer, please email us at info@wetestify.org. If you have any questions about donating, please contact us at info@wetestify.org and we would be happy to answer them.
Does We Testify perform or help pay for abortions?
Unfortunately, We Testify does not have the capacity to fund abortions. You can find your local abortion fund here or your local clinic here.
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We Testify is dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have had abortions. Whether you have had an abortion or love someone who did, we need your voice in the conversation to change our culture into a more compassionate and supportive one. We need everyone to love those of us who have had abortions aloud and deeply. If you are committed to supporting the leadership of people who have had abortions, sign up to receive our newsletters!