Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich hopes to create a $1 million fund to support abortion access. On Tuesday, he called on the county council to set aside the dollars so abortion and family planning providers are prepared should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, which establishes the constitutional right to an abortion.

The news comes as the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe, leaving all abortion decision-making to states. Several D.C.-area officials are looking to reduce any barriers to abortion care — most recently, D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau introduced legislation that would prohibit the city from cooperating with another state’s investigation into anyone who gets an abortion (or assists a person getting an abortion) in D.C.

The fund is part of a plan to make Montgomery County a haven for people in need of abortion, be they Marylanders or out-of-state residents, Elrich tells DCist/WAMU. Maryland state law protects the right to abortion before fetal viability, and the State Assembly has recently taken steps to increase access to abortions in the state. Providers in the county anticipate serving many more patients as states around the country clamp down on abortion access after the expected Roe decision, Elrich says. At least 13 states have “trigger laws” on the books that will automatically ban all or nearly all abortions once Roe is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Neighboring West Virginia explicitly does not protect the right to abortion in its state constitution.

“There’s no way to predict how many people could come over, for example, from West Virginia at this moment,” Elrich says. “We’re trying to get prepared now.”

He expects a majority of the Montgomery County Council to approve the funding, perhaps as a supplemental to the fiscal year 2023 budget. He worked with councilmembers on the abortion access fund idea, including District 4 representative Nancy Navarro, he says.

Council Vice President Evan Glass tells DCist/WAMU via email he will work with his colleagues to get the $1 million request passed immediately. He expects funds to be available by this summer. “These funds will support our most vulnerable residents, who are at risk of becoming even more vulnerable by the Supreme Court,” Glass says.

Elrich envisions the county dollars will fund a grant program for abortion and family planning providers. Providers could use the money to train staff, for example. Maryland state lawmakers are already pushing Gov. Larry Hogan to release $3.5 million dollars for a program that would train more abortion providers. He hopes the Montgomery County fund could support local providers who are waiting on those dollars, he says.

Local officials are not the only ones preparing. “This is something that we have been preparing for for a long time, but it still really hurts to see some of our worst fears coming to pass,” Lynn McCann, director of development and communications for the Baltimore Abortion Fund, told DCist/WAMU earlier this month. The fund that supports abortion access — from the procedure itself to transportation and childcare — already helps out-of-state residents. McCann says roughly 40% of the people they served last year travelled from outside of Maryland.

Previous abortion coverage:

If Roe Goes, What’s Next For Local Abortion Access?

How Local Abortion Funds Have Been Getting Ready For The End Of Roe

What We Know About This Weekend’s Abortion Protest