Note: This message was written by Michelle Mitchenor, Founder of The Mitchenor Foundation

My name is Michelle Mitchenor, and I’m an advocate and actress, currently starring in the First Wives Club on BET and having previously worked on the Lethal Weapon TV series and in the film Chi-Raq. I’m also the founder of the Mitchenor Foundation, which works to support children in underserved communities worldwide, and am engaged in a wide range of issues that are important to me. 

I care deeply about ensuring that everyone has access to the abortion care that they need and deserve. That’s why this fall I was honored to team up with The Brigid Alliance for my foundation’s Icon Ball, which raised $3,000 to help people travel long distances for abortion care. If you’d like to chip in $50 or whatever you can, please click here and donate.

This issue is critically important and very personal to me. People’s experiences with pregnancy vary so widely, and all families should have every option available to them. My first pregnancy resulted in a preterm delivery and an extended stay in the NICU – and my husband and I were grateful to eventually leave the NICU with a healthy child, now two years old, who lights us up each and every day. Earlier this year, we needed to terminate our second pregnancy for medical reasons. It was a scary, heartbreaking time for our family. 

When we had to terminate the pregnancy, we needed to travel over 500 miles to get to the closest available healthcare provider, and we needed support. I learned about The Brigid Alliance via the clinic I was heading to and their team helped me get the travel and lodging assistance my family and I needed. Their support helped tremendously, as the burden of having to organize travel – along with the astronomical costs of the termination itself – was daunting. Thank you to the team at The Brigid Alliance for aiding us in the ever-increasing logistical complications of getting to and from abortion care.

Every person’s journey is unique – and this year, just six weeks after our loss, my husband and I were thrilled to become pregnant again. We’re now eagerly awaiting the birth of our child, who is due in January. 

The Brigid Alliance is there for people when they need it – for whatever reason they need. Abortion is health care and everyone should be able to access it, but right now hundreds of thousands of people in the United States cannot get an abortion in their communities. The Brigid Alliance arranges and pays for the travel and logistical arrangements necessary for people to clear hurdles to care during what can often be a stressful and challenging time.

The Brigid Alliance is a great way to support families who need help, especially during this critical moment for abortion access. Their team provides a steady hand with expert knowledge of the abortion landscape and process. Let’s go all in to support this organization and ensure we can help people all over the country access the care they need. Click here to join me in donating $50, or whatever you’re able, to The Brigid Alliance.