MIAMI, FLORIDA –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour arrived in Miami to highlight what’s at stake as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. The “Ride to Decide” bus tour comes as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate across the country. Support for legal abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped anti-abortion extremists and conservative lawmakers from continuing to undermine Americans’ access to abortion care,  birth control, and IVF treatment. 

At the event, local patient storytellers, faith leaders, and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Florida and across the country.

“As extremist lawmakers push to ban abortion nationwide, we must understand what’s truly at stake. I stand before you not just as an activist, but as a survivor. When I was 14, I was sexually assaulted. But, at least I had access to safe, legal abortion care,” said Kat Duesterhaus, the founder of Bans Off Miami and the Legislative Director of the Florida State Chapter of the National Organization for Women. “To the lawmakers pushing these extreme measures, hear this: we will not be silent. We will not be passive. We will fight for the right of every individual to make decisions about their own bodies, free from government interference. Our voices are powerful, our resolve is unbreakable, and our cause is just.”

“It’s time for pro-choice men to get off the sidelines and get in the fight as allies for reproductive freedom,” said Jamison Brown, a college student and fellow with Men4Choice, who quoted Angela Davis and highlighted the racist roots of attacks on reproductive freedom. “Women of color, especially black women, have died at the hands of doctors. The last thing we need is a national abortion ban, because history will repeat itself.” 

“Although we already have a near-total six-week abortion ban in Florida, extremists still feel empowered to target vulnerable birthing people,” said Michidael Ceard, the Organizing Director of the Florida Student Power Network, an organization dedicated to building power among young Black, brown and marginalized youth across Florida. “Abortion is a health care choice – not a political one. We need our reproductive freedoms back.” 

“As a former Florida legislator, I have had the unfortunate distinction of standing in the Florida state capitol as the rights of women were stripped away,” said Dwight Bullard, who served in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate before joining Florida Rising. “Unfortunately, it’s not stopping. We see what extremists have planned with things like Project 2025. I like to remind folks that here in Florida, we’ve experienced Project 2025 for the last twenty five years, thanks to extremist legislators like Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, and Matt Gaetz. Today, they stand in congress waiting to pass a national abortion ban.”

“My family immigrated to Florida to escape an authoritarian government. We call Florida a ‘free state,’ yet we have a near-total ban on abortion,” said Leydi Amador, a Civic Engagement Organizer at Florida Student Power Network, who highlighted how attacks on access to contraception and comprehensive sex-education in Florida leaves students and young people across the state without the tools they need to keep themselves safe and healthy.

“Right now, I advise pregnant women to avoid Florida altogether, even for a wedding or a celebration. You do not want to have a miscarriage or a health care issue here,” said Joanne Sininsky, a former clinic escort and grandmother who had two abortions after becoming pregnant twice while using an IUD in the 1980s and ‘90s. “Everyone has a story. The more we hear them, the harder we must work.” Sininsky was joined at the event by her daughter, Cantor Shira Ginsburg.

“Jewish law permits, and even requires abortion in some circumstances. So, any law that limits a Jewish woman’s right to choose, therefore limits a Jewish woman’s ability to make her own decision according to her religious beliefs, said Cantor Shira Ginsburg, who holds the distinguished title of Cantor Emerita of East End Temple where she served as Senior Cantor for eighteen years. “Restricting access to abortion strips women of their fundamental autonomy over their own bodies, and makes what is a very private decision a public matter. It is up to us to ensure that a woman’s right to choose is hers, and hers alone.” 

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Tampa and Orlando next, where local storytellers will spotlight the real-life impacts of abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom and share why federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care has never been more important.

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

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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.