The debate over abortion access has only flared up after the Arizona Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding a 160-year-old law banning nearly all abortions.
Governor Gavin Newsom says California stands ready to help out-of-state people in need of reproductive health care. Here in the Bay Area, the growing threat to abortion rights has inspired people to get involved in creative ways.
A pair of San Francisco women are turning their gifts as bakers into a tasty slice of activism, one chocolate cake at a time
In the heart of San Francisco, Nan Wiener stirs more than just flour and sugar.
“I’m making an 86-proof chocolate cake,” she said.
She is a retired magazine editor and has always loved baking. But for the past two years she has dusted off her old cookbooks for a good cause.
“There are a lot of things that I care about and work on and follow, but I thought, this is it,” Wiener explains.
In June 2022, Wiener watched as the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, ending the right to legal abortion that had been upheld for decades. At that moment she knew she had to do something.
“It affects every woman in this country,” she said.
She and longtime friend Zoe Stricker started a neighborhood bake sale and donated the money to organizations that support abortion rights.
“The response has been incredible,” she said. “People were so excited! And we sold out.”
That’s when they decided to turn their half-baked idea into a full-fledged nonprofit, My Bakery, My Choice.
After obtaining the permits, they began taking orders from customers across the Bay Area, with 100% of the proceeds going to vetted organizations that support abortion rights.
On Wednesday, they donated $750 to a Tucson nonprofit in response to the Arizona Supreme Court upholding an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions.
Even though they’ve given more than $10,000 to the cause so far, they don’t want to sugar coat the case.
“We were recently asked, ‘What is your vision for the future?’ And I thought, ‘My vision is that we don’t have to exist,'” Stricker said.
Barbara Grob, a customer from Marin County, says the desserts are very tasty. The fact that the bakers help defend women’s rights was the icing on the cake.
“I feel better when I eat the calories,” Grob said.
