For Immediate Release
January 22, 2025
Contact: Kelly Rimar kelly@freeandjust.us
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Local Patient Advocates Mark Would-Be Roe Anniversary, Warn of Coming Attacks on Reproductive Freedom
MADISON, WI – Today, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and local patient advocates joined Free & Just to mark what would be the 52nd anniversary of the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which enshrined the right to legal abortion for nearly 50 years. In June 2022, the Supreme Court stripped away the right to safe and legal abortion, ending half a century of precedent and robbing millions of people of the freedom to make their own decisions about their families, futures, and lives. In the years since, attacks on reproductive freedom have escalated, and women across the country have lost their lives as a result of abortion bans and restrictions.
Stripping away the freedoms Roe protected was just the first step in extremists' anti-abortion playbook. Today, Republican officials remain committed to banning abortion nationwide, and they will use any tool at their disposal to do it – even though it remains widely unpopular.
“Our country faces a patchwork of laws, regulations, and oppression. And we know that women are dying because of that patchwork. We know that lives are changed, not for the better, because of that patchwork,” said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, a fierce advocate for reproductive freedom who has pledged to protect both patients and providers in Madison. “The guardrails have come off. We are under attack. Our rights are under attack. Our bodily autonomy is under attack.”
“Here in Wisconsin, we still have to do the work. We still have people who are afraid of what is happening next,” said Dana Pellebon, who serves as the Executive Director of RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center in Dane County. “The current administration is determined to keep their laws on our bodies. We cannot let this happen. It is important that all of us stand up and say ‘reproductive choice and reproductive freedom is an inalienable right to us, here in our nation.’ When we talk about freedom, bodily autonomy is the freedom we are talking about.”
“We can no longer take for granted the shoulders we have stood on for so long – the victories of our mothers and grandmothers. Your rights are now being charted by someone who has no connection to the liberty and freedom we fought for generations to achieve,” said Ali Muldrow, the Executive Director of Women’s Medical Fund Wisconsin. “The role of government is to remove barriers, not create them.”
“We’ve got to face our new realities. And the reality is, Trump and other Republican lawmakers are only increasing their attacks on abortion access and reproductive care,” said Rory Madden, Chair of Sex Out Loud at UW-Madison, which provides the extended campus community access to comprehensive sex education. “Being a college student right now means navigating a landscape where every decision we make – from what classes to take to what career we want to pursue – is impacted by the uncertainty around reproductive rights.”
“Over the years I’ve counseled women, pregnant people, and their families. They’ve often come to me for counseling because they are having a crisis of faith, because the overwhelming message that they are receiving from the religious community is that abortion is wrong,” said Reverend Tim Schaefer with the First Baptist Church of Madison and is a member of the Wisconsin Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Reverend Schaefer urged his fellow Wisconsinites to show one another compassion as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate. “If you have ever had an abortion, if you have ever considered an abortion, if you’re considering an abortion – you are loved.”
If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us.
Learn more about how Republican officials plan to restrict reproductive freedom here.
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Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.
