WASHINGTON — When the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade, it said each state should decide whether to allow abortion. 

But, in one of the bluest spots on the political map, a place largely seen as a refuge for women seeking abortions, residents have no say whether abortion remains legal. In the District of Columbia, the fate of abortion access could ultimately be decided by Congress.

“As of right now, this is going to be the most vulnerable place in the world,” said Rep. Elenor Holmes Norton, a Democratic non-voting member who represents the District in Congress. 

While officials in the very Democratic city have reaffirmed abortion rights, the District is under the control of Congress, which means a future Republican majority could outlaw abortions in the nation’s capital.

“I’m concerned about resources, I’m concerned that they could cut off abortion rights all together here in the District of Columbia,” Norton said during an interview with Spectrum News in her Capitol Hill office.

Some conservative Republicans like Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde are already vowing to introduce legislation banning abortion in D.C. This, even though many Republicans have said abortion should be an issue for localities to decide.

In the past, Republicans tried to ban abortions in D.C. past 20 weeks, and in the city’s public hospitals, but those efforts failed. 

However, 11 years ago, Republicans pushed through a law banning the use of local tax dollars to fund the procedure. 

“That one was put on us in a bipartisan way,” said Bo Shuff, the director of DCVote, a group pushing to make the District a state.

“There was a very famous line of then-President Obama telling then-Speaker of the House John Boehner, 'I don’t like it John, but I’ll give you D.C. abortion,'" Shuff said. "That specifically is what is worrying people about where we are now."

The District of Columbia has the highest per-capita abortion rate in the U.S. The majority of abortions, 69% in 2019, were performed for patients who did not live in D.C.

“I can see why folks see D.C. as a North Star, and our fund is committed to funding and supporting folks seeking abortions in our region,” said Benny Del Castillo, with the D.C. Abortion Fund.

According to the D.C. Abortion Fund's 2021 annual report, the organization gave $798,736 in grants to 3,426 recipients. There’s growing concern that abortion services in the District are going to be stretched thin, with many states around the country banning or restricting the procedure.

“As of right now, there are some clinics that are booked out for over a month because there are so many people, there’s so much need," Del Castillo said. "That’s the kind of ripple effects we’re going to see."

Officials with Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington said they have seen an increase in patients from outside Washington since the Supreme Court’s ruling. Now, they’re considering plans to expand.

“I think the real concern is capacity to provide care for the people that are coming in,” said Dr. Laura Meyers, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington.

“Should the Congress decide to tamper with that access and legal abortion in the District, we will not only fight them in the courts, but we will take to the streets,” she said in an interview with Spectrum News.

There are renewed calls for D.C. statehood, but that goal remains far out of reach — the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation two times, but both bills died in the Senate. For now, the future of abortion rights in the district could ride on the results of a midterm election that residents aren’t even able to vote in.

“I think the District has led the way on providing options for people to get abortions here," Norton said. "We will fight to keep that right open."