We Testify is a left-of-center advocacy organization that supports taxpayer-funded abortions, compiles stories from women who have undergone abortions to normalize the practice, and provides women with resources to fund their abortions and find abortion clinics. The organization is a fiscally-sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, a clearinghouse that sponsors left-of-center causes. ¹

We Testify was created in 2020 by Renee Bracey Sherman, a former employee of the National Network of Abortion Funds. ²

Activities

We Testify operates two broad programs: storytelling by women who have undergone abortions that normalize and encourage abortions and guidance on how to find clinics and fund abortions.

Storytelling

We Testify seeks to compile 200 stories from women who have undergone abortions and encourages others to do so as well. ³ We Testify compensates storytellers to generate content for its website. ⁴ The Story Telling project aims to map abortion stories from women across a digital and interactive map of the country.

In an article titled “This Is The Perfect Reason To Have An Abortion,” We Testify re-told abortion stories, many of which involved young women not seeking abortion due to health reasons, but because they did not want to be parents with the father of the child they were carrying. ⁵ The article prefaced the story with statements from Bracey Sherman in which she claimed that conditional support for abortion, such as believing that abortion past a certain time in a pregnancy is wrong or arguing that individuals should take precautions in order to avoid having multiple abortions, constitutes “stigmatic behavior” that contributes to anti-abortion harassment. ⁶

Abortion Guides

We Testify states that viewers should consider all options once they have determined that they are pregnant. The organization’s guide recommends that viewers consider whether they want to carry a child and suggests visiting All-Options, a left-of-center organization that provides counseling to women deciding whether to carry a child to term. ⁷

The organization emphasizes the accessibility of abortion and provides several abortion-related resources, including information regarding the Abortion Care Network, the National Abortion Federation, and Planned Parenthood clinics. ⁸ In states that allow for private abortion services and consultations through teleconferencing, the organization provide information on how to access Abortion On Demand, TelAbortion, Hey Jane, and Carafem to allow women to perform their own early-term abortions at home. ⁹

We Testify also provides resources and guidance on how to fund abortions. The guide directs readers who cannot afford an abortion to contact the National Network of Abortion Funds and the National Abortion Federation. We Testify also provides information on whether the user’s state Medicaid program funds abortions. ¹⁰

For pregnant individuals under the age of 18, the organization provides guidance on how to seek a judicial bypass in the 37 states that require parental consent or notification to receive an abortion. ¹¹ We Testify directs its viewers to judicial bypass services and guidance provided by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), If/When/How, and Jane’s Due Process. ¹²

Leadership

Renee Bracey Sherman is the president and founder of We Testify. ¹³ Prior to joining We Testify, she was a senior public affairs manager for the National Network of Abortion Funds from 2015 until 2019. ¹⁴

1. “About – How can I support We Testify” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/home#about
2. “Our Stories” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/stories
3. “Our Stories” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/stories
4. “About – Why does We Testify compensate storytellers?” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/home#about
5. Zaman, Mirel. “This Is The Perfect Reason To Have An Abortion” Refinery29. October 20, 2020. Accessed June 27, 2021. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/10/10015330/reasons-for-abortion-stories-women
6. Zaman, Mirel. “This Is The Perfect Reason To Have An Abortion” Refinery29. October 20, 2020. Accessed June 27, 2021. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/10/10015330/reasons-for-abortion-stories-women
7. “Abortion – Think about your options” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/abortion
8. “Abortion – Find a Clinic” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/abortion
9. “Abortion – Find a Clinic” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/abortion
10. “Abortion – Paying for your abortion” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/abortion
11. “Abortion – Navigating Parental Notification & Consent Laws” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/abortion
12. “Abortion – Navigating Parental Notification & Consent Laws” We Testify. https://www.wetestify.org/abortion
13. “Renee Bracey Sherman” Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneebraceysherman/
14. “Renee Bracey Sherman” Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneebraceysherman/