Inaugural Access Walk Brings Action on Abortion Access

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Dobbs case in June 2022, the Pyatt Family, seeing the national outcry for access to safe abortion services, decided to take action to raise awareness and funds through a community walking event – Access Walk. The event takes place Sunday, September 24, 2023 at Volunteer Park in Seattle.

The one-kilometer walking event will raise funds that will be granted to organizations that ensure access to abortion services through financial support to individuals seeking safe access to abortion services, helping them with things like travel, lodging and childcare. All proceeds collected for Access Walk Seattle will go directly to grantees.

The walking event will take place each year, ensuring ongoing financial support to the many organizations serving individuals from all states and all backgrounds.

Why We Walk

Access Walk has one goal: To offer financial support to regional organizations that provide access to safe abortion services. Organizations providing this service typically have minimal staffing and financial resources, and face challenges when attempting to raise funds to support individuals’ travel and lodging expenses to access their services.

Access Walk’s founders believe finances should not be a barrier to access to safe abortion services. While numbers are still coming in, there is anecdotal evidence that individuals from other states are traveling to Washington state to seek access to abortion services.

The Associated Press recently reported on the post-Roe impact on Native Americans, telling the story of one individual’s nine-hour trip to access safe abortion services after South Dakota changed their state laws. The news group has also reported on possible bans or new restrictions on abortion services in South Carolina.

This patchwork of state laws and various restrictions on access to abortion services puts a strain on health care providers in states with less prescriptive laws. It also puts an incredible financial burden on individuals traveling long distances to access these services, particularly low-income and underserved populations.

Whatever view residents hold on the issue, Access Walk is about supporting individuals in their personal choice to access information on options and ensure financial support for access to safe abortion services.

Join Us

Access Walk has created several ways to participate in the event. The goal is to ensure individuals from all backgrounds and across Washington state can take action. Here’s what you can do:

• Register to walk and invite your friends to join you
• Share the event on your social media channels (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter)
• Become a sponsor
• Make a direct donation to Access Walk
• Register for the virtual walk

To learn more about sponsorship or to apply for a grant from Access Walk, contact info@accesswalk.org.

A Welcoming Space

Access Walk organizers are busy working on an event that will be a welcoming space for all participants. That’s why part of the registration process includes acknowledging that participants support the mission of Access Walk to raise funds to provide financial support to organizations that provide safe access to abortion services. Walkers on the one-kilometer course will attest that they will not be protesters. While we don’t expect protestors, we respect everyone’s views. As such, we will have a space set aside at the event for those wishing to express their First Amendment rights to speak their minds.

Just as the walk will be a peaceful and supportive environment, we hope that those who come out with different perspectives on abortion will do so peacefully and respectfully.

Get Ready for Access Walk

The one-kilometer walk is gentle, and we want to invite everyone to participate. To do that, you can use simple training plans, like the Couch to 5k plan. If you’d like, you can invite a friend to join you and make the most of your day by training to do more than one loop.

Most importantly, bring your support for individuals who are in need of assistance to access safe abortion services.

If you want to stay up-to-date on what we’re doing, you can follow Access Walk on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and you can also sign up for event updates.