Nonprofit San Francisco bakery supports abortion rights "one bite at a time"
The debate surrounding abortion access has only heated up after the recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling upholding a 160-year-old law banning nearly all abortions.
Governor Gavin Newsom says California is ready to help people from the state who need reproductive health care. Here in the Bay Area, the growing threat to abortion rights has inspired people to get involved in some 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 is stirring up more than just flour and sugar.
"I'm making an 86-proof chocolate cake," she said.
A retired magazine editor, she's always loved baking. But for the last two years, she's been dusting off her old cookbooks for a good cause.
"There are many things I care about and work on and follow, but I thought, 'This is the one,'" Wiener explained.
In June of 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 single woman in this country," she said.
Along with longtime friend Zoe Stricker, she started a neighborhood a bake sale and donated the money to organizations that support abortion rights.
"The response was unbelievable," she said. "People were just so excited! And we sold out."
That was when they decided to turn their half-baked idea into a full-blown nonprofit business, My Bakery, My Choice.
After securing the permits, they began taking orders from customers from all over the Bay, with 100% of the proceeds going to vetted organizations that support abortion rights.
On Wednesday, they donated $750 to a non-profit in Tucson in response to the Arizona Supreme Court upholding an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions.
Even though they have given more than $10,000 to the cause so far, they're not looking to sugar coat things.
"We were asked recently, 'What's your vision for the future?' And I was like, '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 are helping defend women's rights was icing on the cake.
"I feel better about eating the calories," Grob said.