Free & Just Marks Would-Be 51st Anniversary of Roe v. Wade by Speaking Out Against Republican Attacks on Abortion
Washington, DC – Free & Just joined abortion storytellers, medical students , faith leaders, and elected officials to mark the would-be 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, stand up for reproductive freedom, and fight back against Republican attacks on abortion access nationwide.
In Wisconsin, ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’s visit to Wisconsin to kick off her national Reproductive Freedoms Tour, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) and abortion storytellers and advocates joined Free & Just at Affiliated Medical Services in Milwaukee. Affiliated Medical Services was the only remaining independent abortion clinic in the state and served patients for three decades before it was forced to close shortly after the Dobbs decision restricted women’s reproductive freedoms and banned abortion across the state. You can watch the event here.
“I too have had an abortion, and I had an abortion before Roe v. Wade. And I know what it means to try to hustle up the money and have to travel to get an abortion,” said Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who shared her own personal abortion story after Roe v. Wade was overturned. “Back then, it may have been a million dollars in my mind in terms of the effort that it took me to be able to do that.”
“I used to be a labor and delivery nurse for about a decade and provided later pregnancy abortion care for patients. And then I found myself in 2016 becoming a later-in-pregnancy abortion patient before the overturning of Roe v Wade,” said Jennifer Vollstedt, former labor and delivery nurse and personal abortion storyteller who received a fatal chromosomal abnormality diagnosis at 18 weeks pregnant. “At the time, I thought this was a right that was guaranteed for patients, and I did not think this was something that was threatened. I received the type of abortion that every patient across this country deserves to have access to should they need an abortion.”
Watch the event here. Read the full event press release here.
In Arizona, abortion advocates, storytellers, and students joined Free & Just outside Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s (AZ-06) office for a rally 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. You can watch the event here.
“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.
Watch the event here. Read the full event press release here.
Free & Just also released a new TV ad that calls out Members of Congress for their extremist, dangerous anti-abortion agenda and efforts to further ban and restrict abortion access across the country. The ad features abortion storyteller Emma Burns who spoke out at the rally outside of Rep. Ciscomani’s office.
The TV ad is part of a six-figure ad buy to amplify the voices of people who have been impacted by the overturning of Roe and the proliferation of harmful anti-abortion laws in Arizona and across the country.
The ad is running on broadcast in Arizona’s 6th congressional district, Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district, and Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district from Monday, January 22 through Friday, January 26, 2024.
See additional coverage of the events in Arizona and Wisconsin below:
Arizona
KMSB-TV (Fox Tucson): Abortion Advocates March in Arizona, Gather in Tucson to Hold Rep. Ciscomani Accountable for his Attacks on Abortion | January 20, 2024
KOLD-TV (CBS Tucson): Abortion Advocates March in Arizona, Gather to Hold Rep. Ciscomani Accountable for His Attacks on Abortion January 20, 2024
KVOA-TV (NBC-Tucson): Advocates Rally Outside Rep. Ciscomani's Office Ahead of Roe Anniversary | January 20, 2024
Blog for Arizona: Abortion Activists Rail Against CiscoMAGA and Republican Extremists | January 21, 2024
Tucson Agenda | The Daily Agenda | January 22, 2024
Arizona Daily Star op-ed by Sylvia Gonzalez Anderish: Three generations of women, three sets of rights | January 20, 2024
Wisconsin
CBS58 (CBS Milwaukee): 'Women's rights are human rights:' Wisconsin leaders, pro-choice advocates hold abortion access rally ahead of VP Harris' visit Monday | January 21, 2024
WTMJ4 (NBC Milwaukee): Ahead of VP Visit, Democrats Rally in Milwaukee to Oppose National Abortion Ban
WUWM-FM (Milwaukee’s NPR): Vice President Harris will emphasize abortion rights during a visit to Wisconsin
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.