Advocates Speak Out Against Rep. Ciscomani’s Attacks on Abortion ahead of 51st Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Tucson, AZ – Today, ahead of the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, abortion advocates, storytellers, and students joined Free & Just outside Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s (AZ-06) office to hold him accountable for his ongoing attacks on abortion and reproductive freedom. Rep. Ciscomani, who applauded the reversal of Roe and supports Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban, has voted repeatedly to restrict access to abortion, including for legislation that would limit access to safe abortion medication.
Republicans in Arizona have been waging a war against abortion access in the state, enacting harmful restrictions that make receiving abortion care burdensome and difficult. In the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org., nearly all clinics in Arizona stopped providing abortion services, leaving the only seven remaining clinics in the state operating at a reduced capacity under former Republican Governor Doug Ducey’s extreme abortion ban. Now, the state Supreme Court is considering reinstating a near-total ban from 1864.
“As we commemorate what would have been the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, I’m forced to reckon with the grave reality that now my daughter has fewer rights than I did at her age,” said Sylvia Gonzalez Andersh, an Air Force Veteran and a constituent of Rep. Juan Ciscomani who shared her personal story of receiving an abortion while on active duty in the 70s, just five years after the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. “Because of the Roe ruling, I had the freedom to decide my future – a freedom I’ve lived to see both granted and taken away…if extreme Republicans like Juan Ciscomani get their way, my daughter will completely lose her right to make the same decisions I had the freedom to make, just like my mother before her.” Read more of Sylvia’s story in the Arizona Daily Star.
“How unfair that we have to stand up here fighting for rights that you fought so hard for 50 years ago. It’s outrageous that we still have to fight to have bodily autonomy and receive the medical care we need, said Emma Burns, a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University and organizer with the Arizona Students Association who shared her own abortion story following Sylvia. “Receiving my abortion allowed me to continue my life. It allowed me to graduate college and it allowed me to hope for the future… when you deny young people access to abortion care you are signing their death sentences.” Read more of Emma’s story in the Arizona Mirror.
“Abortion is health care. Abortion is a human right,” said Kyle Nitschke, Co-Executive Director of the Arizona Students' Association. “When our congressmen are trying to take away our freedoms around health care, our freedoms to live without gun violence, our freedoms to travel safely in between borders, we need to hold them accountable.”
Speakers also included Katie Woodall, an activist with Moms Demand Action and survivor of the Las Vegas Route 91 Shooting, and students from the University of Arizona who called out Rep. Ciscomani for his failures on gun safety and immigration.
You can watch the event here.
If you’re interested in speaking with any of the event’s participants, please email maggie@freeandjust.us
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About Free & Just
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. Follow Free & Just on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.