Our Origin Story: Beyond our Wildest Dreams

We Testify was conceived in Frida Kahlo's backyard in Mexico City at 'La Casa Azul' while founder, Renee Bracey Sherman, was there for a staff retreat with the National Network of Abortion Funds. The concept originated there in the garden, in front of a big, bright, blue wall even before it had a name. Now, years later, the spirit infusing We Testify remains. We remember Frida Kahlo as a freedom fighter, a disability justice activist, an artist, an intergenerational storyteller who shared about her miscarriages and reproduction through art. She was a socialist dreamer and a woman of color.

Each storyteller that is part of We Testify is also fighting for freedom, telling intergenerational stories about reproduction and abortion. Like 'La Casa Azul,' We Testify is a home and a creative space to explore all of the power and possibilities that abortion storytellers can imagine.

We Testify has evolved from an idea in Frida Kahlo's garden to a program alongside abortion funds, and now is its own entity, still led by Renee Bracey Sherman and all the people who've had abortions and shared their stories. In its newest stage of development, We Testify is embodied by a new and distinctive visual brand and website.

People who have abortions and have no problem clapping back in defense of our decisions and people they love.

People who have abortions and are fiercely loyal, possessing unconditional compassion.

People who have abortions and are fly, fun, approachable, and comfortable in our own skin.

People who have abortions and are just as willing to listen as to share — self-aware, pragmatic, real, and effortlessly magnetic with a big personality, ahead of the trend.

People who have abortions and take birth control because we have sex and are invested in community, abundance, and pleasure.

We're making meaningful changes to how We Testify shows up in the world.

We Testify is diverse and our story is changing. We're moving beyond a purple and gold color scheme. We hope this helps our audiences to see We Testify holistically as its own entity in our new iteration.

We will maintain some gold, tattoo images, and stars for continuity but will depart from our previous color scheme. The color gold, to us, means that everyone who has abortions should have a gold-level, highest quality experience possible. That's what we deserve. A deep blue and gold combination is like storytelling stars popping in the night sky.

We have always incorporated tattoo icons as our logo to signify another common permanent, and sometimes stigmatized, decision many of us make to our bodies, although way less regulated.

We are now using cream and brown as signifiers of melanin because people of color have abortions and will no longer be left out of the conversation. The incorporation of a range of skin colors is integral to the identity of We Testify. Different shades of brown have an earthy warmth tone and remind us of the skins of the BIPOC we're centering.

When we think about stars as a motif in our brand, it means to us that people who have abortions are the best! We are stars in the present! We are North Star for the future and we hold the stars representing our past ancestors. So our brand is bold, earthy, and celestial at the same time, embodied while grounded AND transcendent while heavenly, which is what We Testify storytellers are.

Our new brand also more strongly features photos showing people who have abortions more than ever before, in happy moments supporting and loving each other. We Testify is both soft and fierce. It's compassion and empowerment. It's both gentle and strong.

We Testify's brand is designed to speak to people who have abortions with love and righteous indignation.

Our Storytellers

Sharing abortion stories brings us together. Sharing your story can be cathartic and help you prepare to share with your loved ones. Want to share your story on our website and see your star plotted on our abortion story map? Fill out this form.

How do you feel the cultural environment and messages you received about abortion impacted your experience, both positive and negative?

Are there messages you learned about abortion in your family? How did they impact your experience?

Are there racial, ethnic, gender identity, class, sexuality, immigrant, ability, religious, or other identities that impacted your abortion experience?

How did your geographic location or community political climate impact your abortion experience?

What do you know now about your abortion experience that you would tell a younger version of yourself?

Were there barriers you faced? How did you navigate them?

How did you pay for your abortion? If you had insurance, were you able to use it, why or why not? Did you have to borrow money from someone or call an abortion fund? How did that experience make you feel?

Was there someone who helped you navigate barriers? How did they help you? What stands out about that person to you?

Was there a barrier that you were able to bypass because of your privilege? How did that impact your abortion experience?

What support did you or didn’t you have during your abortion? How do you think that impacted you?

Share Your Story!

Stories

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.

Given the increasingly hostile climate towards abortion in this country, if you are concerned about your legal safety please erase your browser history.

To clear your browsing history in Google Chrome on Android, iPhone, or iPad, tap the three-dot menu icon > Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data.

WE TESTIFY

Teens Are Speaking Up About Their Abortions Through Youth Testify

39 Abortion Stories Show Just How Important Abortion Access Is

At 17, I Had to Go to Court to Fight For My Abortion

Reproductive Health Care Has Always Been Essential, Especially During A Pandemic

Florida Is Making It Even Harder for Young People to Get Abortions—Just Like Dozens of Other States

Editorial: If Amendment 4 passes, parents will keep rights over minors’ pregnancy options

What Teens Need to Know About Texas SB 8 and Accessing Abortion

I Had Undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder When I Got Pregnant — My Abortion Saved My Life

The Intersections of Abortion Bans

Abortion Advocacy as an Asian American: Interview with Aimee Arrambide

Indiana’s Anti-Choice Law Stigmatizes Abortion And Mental Illness

How Abortion Storytellers Feel About Michelle Williams’ Golden Globes Speech

Texas Moves To Ban Most Abortions During Coronavirus Crisis

State Officials Try to End Legal Abortion During COVID-19 Crisis

Women share abortion stories all across Texas

Women Won Abortion Rights In Texas—But They Still Can't Access Care

Advocates Say Indiana’s New Abortion Reporting Law Could Further Stigmatize Abortion Care

People Who Have Had Abortions Will Not Be Ignored By The Democratic Party

Texas Legislators Double Down, Break Glass Table, In Next Big Abortion Fight

Pandemic sparks new front in abortion wars

Abortion AMA: Can I Get An Abortion If I'm Religious?

I Talk to My Young Kids About Abortion Because the Government Won’t

Ohio Senate to vote on bill to ban abortion procedure

HEARTBEAT BILLS ARE PART OF THE ENDGAME FOR ROE V. WADE

Abortion AMA: Should I Get An Abortion?

Five Things to Know About Congressional Republicans’ Total Abortion Ban

Ohio’s Ridiculous New Abortion Bill Likely Won’t Become Law. But It Still Scares Me.

Becoming A Mother Made Me Grateful For My Abortion

Ohio's Proposed Law Would Have Stopped Me From Getting an Abortion

Abortion AMA: Does an Abortion Hurt

Any further Cleveland Heights council opposition to ‘heartbeat’ abortion ban remains on hold (Updated version)

My Abortion Made Me Appreciate All That Abortion Providers Do for Women

Everything You Should Know About Post-Abortion Sex

When You Speak Out Against Toxic Horse World Behavior, You're Helping More Than You Know

We Need More Than Roe v. Wade to Protect A Woman’s Right to Choose

These women needed late-term abortions—and they want Trump to know the truth

‘Later Abortions Are Deeply Misunderstood’

Sen. Rosen: 2 years after Roe fell, reproductive freedom on ballot

"The Point of These Laws Is To Confuse People": Texas Abortion Ban Aims to Intimidate

No Choice

Abortion Resources for Texans During COVID-19 Clinic Closures

Storytellers Tell Us Why Today’s SCOTUS Case Matters

What is a medication abortion? 5 people talk about taking the 'abortion pill'

The Research and Reality of Abortion

Advocates fear Texas and Mississippi abortion laws will worsen the Black maternal health crisis

Why Do People Have Abortions Later in Pregnancy?

Asheville pro-abortion rights rally scheduled for Wednesday at Pack Square Park

How Medication Abortion Access Has Changed Over 20 Years

What’s It Like To Wait More Than 72 Hours For An Abortion?

Forced Parenthood and Failing Safety Nets: This Is Life in Post-Roe America

In Rural America, the Right to Choose is Only Half the Battle

8 Women Share What It’s Like to Have Sex Again After an Abortion

What My Abortion Experiences Taught Me: Ending Stigma Requires Unconditional Support

Yellowhammer Fund reopens abortion access hotline

Abortion AMA: How Do I Support A Friend Having An Abortion?

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a look at the future of pill-induced abortion

A Win for Repro Rights: Alabama Can’t Charge Activists Helping Patients Get Out-of-State Abortions

Abortion AMA: Can I Give Myself An Abortion?

People Have Multiple Abortions—and Stigmatizing Them Is Counterproductive

15 Minutes: Kelsea McLain

Part 2: Choosing Self-Managed Abortion

For Abortion Clinic Workers, The Fear of Violence is Constant

The decision to have an abortion changed their lives

15 People Share How Roe v. Wade Changed Their Lives

Donor burnout among reasons for decrease in Florida abortion fund fundraising, group says

Florida's stricter ban on abortions could put more pressure on clinics elsewhere

Florida's 6-week abortion ban takes effect, cutting off access in much of the South

The GOP Actually Gave A Sonogram A Seat At The Abortion Ban Hearing, In A Stunning Display Of How Living Women Don't Matter

Florida abortion bill would require minors to obtain consent

The EACH Act would overturn a "blatantly racist" abortion rule. Will it pass?

Abortion Funds Are In ‘A State Of Emergency’ 2 Years After Dobbs

Yo también fui Jane Doe una vez: hoy sufro por ella

Florida abortion fund faces increased demand amid sinking financial support

I Was ‘Jane Doe’ Once

In Florida, Election Day Marks 6 Months Under State’s Abortion Ban

Abortion Is More Popular Than Ron DeSantis

I was once 'Jane Doe', too, and today I suffer for her

What Florida’s New Abortion Ban Will Cost—Literally

Commentary: Abortion care must be available to everyone

Florida Abortion Ban Is ‘Reality Check’—and Checkbooks Open

Rights to abortion, privacy could diminish under proposed constitutional amendment

6 Florida Women, Tired of Abortion Stigma, Share Their Stories 

As Florida Bans Legal Abortion, Where will 84,000 women go??

ASKING FOR AN ABORTION: TWO WOMEN'S JOURNEYS OF SELF-DOUBT & SUICIDAL THOUGHTS IN SEEKING JUDGE'S APPROVAL

With Florida and Arizona bans looming, money’s getting tight for abortion travel funders

Biden omitted an abortion restriction from his budget. Women of color are to thank, activists say.

Neither of These Women Wanted to Be Pregnant. Only One Could Get an Abortion.

Overturning Roe v. Wade Could Make Maternal Mortality Even Worse

Forty-Four Years After Roe V. Wade, I’m Still Fighting For Abortion Rights

Why the Supreme Court Case on Abortion Access Is a Queer Issue

Women are not the only ones who need access to abortions

we are also divine / Body’s in Trouble

Trans Protesters Held a Fully DJed Dance Party and Ball Outside the Heritage Foundation

Gender Liberation March participants rally for bodily autonomy outside Supreme Court, Heritage Foundation

District of Columbia Gender Liberation March participants rally for bodily autonomy outside Supreme Court, Heritage Foundation

Abortion Rights and Trans Rights Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

Abortion In The Third Trimester: A Rare Decision Often Made In Tragic Circumstances

What it's like to work as an abortion doula

In Response to Texas Abortion Ban, Portland Directs $200,000 to Support Reproductive Health Providers

I Know the Truth About Later Abortion Because I had One

The Crisis Pregnancy Center Scam

Abortion AMA: What Is A "Late-Term" Abortion?

Women seek abortions out of state amid restrictions

How crisis pregnancy centers are pushing women to have abortions later

Is an Anti-Choice Clinic Using ‘Unlawful Imprisonment’ as Company Policy?

Portland City Council Passes Resolution to Support Nationwide Abortion Access

4 Women on Their Abortions After 20 Weeks

Even in a Pandemic, People Still Need Abortions

Tejas Made: What Reproductive Rights Look Like For Latines In Texas

Coronavirus Is Destroying Abortion Access Across the U.S.

‘The Entire Conversation Needs To Change’: Reproductive Justice Leaders On The Fight For Abortion Access

First I Chose Abortion. Then I Chose Motherhood.

What It’s Like to Be a Jew of Color—& Abortion Activist—In the Trump Era

Women Share Abortion Stories on Capitol Hill Ahead of Health Care Vote

How Women’s Abortion Stories Are Shattering Stigma Around The Procedure

'Abortion May Be Legal But…’: The Uneven Promise of ‘Roe

I Was 33, Underemployed and Heading Toward Poverty — Here’s Why My Abortion Was So Important

What It’s Like To Have An Abortion At Home

What Ohioans need to know about November ballot issue on abortion

Republicans pushed a special election in Ohio – what does it mean for abortion rights?

The Harassment We Face as Abortion Storytellers

Ohio Voters Protected Their Last Shot at Representative Democracy

Ohio abortion rights advocates embrace destigmatization of ‘abortion’ with name change

Say the Word Abortion: Policy Change Can’t Happen Without Culture Change

Ohio reproductive rights advocates say they’re time-tested for the coming battles and attacks

The Black Women Who Fought for Ohio’s Historic Abortion Win

Women share personal stories of abortion

Ohio abortion foes regroup after 2023 loss. Christian leader calls abortion 'poisonous tree'

5 People Share Why Their Abortion Was Beautiful

Ohio Issue 1: Voters Will Consider Protecting Abortion In the State Constitution

What is the Prenatal Equal Protection Act? New bill would effectively ban abortion in Ohio

Ohio Reproductive Rights Advocates Say They’re Time-Tested for the Coming Battles and Attacks

What Happens After Abortion Wins at the Polls?

Inside the fight over abortion rights in Ohio

The next battleground for abortion rights

Ohio’s pro-abortion rights groups plan fights against total abortion ban bill

Why Anti-Choice Politicians Inspired Me to Share My Abortion Story

My Abortion Brought Me Closer to God

My Abortion Kept My Life on Track. But With Kavanaugh on the Court, Millions Could Be Denied That Choice

Reproductive rights activists say the Democratic Party is throwing them under the bus

The Most Unexpected Consequence of the Texas Abortion Ban

After Dobbs decision, more women are managing their own abortions

Future of abortion pill mifepristone will be decided by Supreme Court

Giving Birth Is Expensive. Birth Care Funds Are Working to Fill the Gap.

Under new restrictive abortion law, women face crisis scenario in Texas

Never Rarely Sometimes Always' Is A Modern Abortion Epic That Finally Rings True

House panel to examine states' abortion restrictions, hear from three congresswomen who've had abortions

As Ted Cruz Heralds IVF Protections Bill, Both Democrats and Republicans Are Skeptical

House Oversight Committee debates Texas abortion law

What It’s Like to Have a Medication Abortion

My Abortions Made Me a Mom

Get the Basics About Self-Managed Abortion

Medication Abortion: Just the Facts

Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers Are Asking Patients About Religion, Past Abortions

Nationwide marches put spotlight on Texas abortion ban, fight moves to DC

House Oversight Committee to examine states' efforts to restrict abortion access

The looming battle over abortion in the US

Medical Abortion Targeted By Trump Administration 20 Years After Its Debut

How Crisis Pregnancy Centers Reproduce Sexual Violence, According to a CPC Victim

Texas House to consider ‘heartbeat bill’ after approval by the Senate

‘Low-budget horror movies’ of babies being ripped apart and promises of ‘baby bucks’: How fake pregnancy clinics pressure women not to abort

Roe v. Wade Might Be Overturned Soon — This Is Worse Than You Think

Are Independent Abortion Clinics The Frontlines of the Fight For Health Equity? 

Years After My Abortion, I’m Thinking About What Might Have Been. But I Don’t Regret It.

Women Get Deeply Honest About Why They Had Abortions As Moms

These Young People Who Managed Their Own Abortions Say The Option Is Even More Important After Texas’s Crackdown