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Dr. Caitlin Gustafson Travels to DC to Highlight Dangers of Idaho Abortion Ban with Democratic Women’s Caucus and House Democrats for Women’s History Month
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Local Patient Advocates Mark Would-Be Roe Anniversary, Warn of Coming Attacks on Reproductive Freedom
“Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Kickoff in Madison, Brings Together Religious Leaders, Health Care Providers, and Patient Advocates to Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans
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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.
Ahead of Would-Be Roe Anniversary, Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Mother of Amber Nicole Thurman Join Patients and Providers Discuss Ongoing Attacks on Reproductive Freedom
For Immediate Release
January 21, 2025
Contact: Kelly Rimar kelly@freeandjust.us
GEORGIA – Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Shanette Williams, whose daughter Amber Nicole Thurman, lost her life as a result of Georgia’s abortion ban, joined patient storytellers and providers 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.
“I refuse to stand by while extremist politicians attack our freedoms, our health, and our future,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams, who represents Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District and warned that the new administration plans to restrict abortion rights further. “Reproductive freedom is about health care, it’s about dignity, it’s about autonomy. It’s about ensuring that everyone, every person, has the ability to make the best decisions for themselves and their families without government interference.”
“She left a son, who every day is confused by why his mother is not here,” said Shanette Williams, whose daughter Amber Nicole Thurman lost her life in Georgia after being denied medical care. “I’m here to be that voice, to fight, to push, to do whatever I need to do to help save another life. Because I never want a mother to feel what I feel today. We cannot quit. We cannot be silent. If we quit, we lose more women.” In November, following reporting from ProPublica, officials in Georgia dismissed all members of the state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which investigates the deaths of pregnant women across the state.
“I could have been Amber Nicole Thurman,” said Avery Davis Bell, a mother from Savannah who was forced to travel out-of-state for care after her baby was diagnosed with fatal chromosomal anomalies that threatened Avery’s own life. “It is important for me to continue sharing my story and advocating for us to be able to build the families we want, protect our lives, and be here for our living children.”
“The ban has been in place for three years now and it doesn’t get any easier. To turn women away is the hardest thing for me to do,” said Suki O., an ultrasound technician and abortion care provider in the Atlanta area. Reflecting on the loss of Amber Nicole Thurman, Suki shared her concerns that women in Georgia and across the country will continue to die, and asked “How many Black women will die, have died, and will continue to die due to these abortion bans?”
“I was hospitalized ten times in ten weeks,” said Callie Beale Harper, who was forced to travel out-of-state for care when one of her twins was diagnosed with severe fetal abnormalities. Harper described her commitment to standing up to attacks on access to reproductive care that leave women in Georgia and across the country vulnerable. “Because of the risk to our lives and the trauma that I had to endure at an already difficult time, I stand for women like me who were played by the system in place, and had my life and my daughter’s life put in jeopardy due to these laws.”
“This is not just a women’s issue, this is a man’s issue as well,” said Davan’te Jennings, President of Young Democrats of Georgia and Youth Organizing Director at Men4Choice, an organization dedicated to educating and engaging young men in the fight for reproductive justice. Jennings urged men across the country to pay attention to the attacks coming from the new administration and extremist lawmakers. “I want to send a clear message to men to get off the sidelines and enter the fight for reproductive justice. What would it look like for you to have to watch your mother go through this? To watch your sister go through this?”
If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us.
You can watch the virtual press event here, and learn more about how Republican officials plan to restrict reproductive freedom here.
###
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.
Ahead of Would-Be Anniversary of Landmark Roe v. Wade Decision, Women Who Sued Texas Over State’s Abortion Ban and Patient Advocates Warn of Coming Attacks on Reproductive Freedom
For Immediate Release
January 21, 2025
Contact: Kelly Rimar kelly@freeandjust.us
TEXAS – Today, Amanda Zurawski, Samantha Casiano, and Ryan Hamilton 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.
“Extremists are going out of their way to make sure the stories of people like my wife are kept quiet,” said Ryan Hamilton, whose wife nearly died after experiencing a miscarriage in Texas, where laws passed by anti-abortion extremists limit access to medical care. Reflecting on ProPublica’s reporting on the preventable deaths of women who lost their lives as a result of Texas’ abortion ban, Hamilton pledged to continue sharing his family’s story and standing up to attacks on reproductive freedom. “We have to continue to tell and use our stories. My anger has purpose, and I’m going to use it.”
“I asked my doctor what my options were, and she told me I didn’t have any, because in the state of Texas, we have an abortion ban,” said Samantha Casiano, a mother of four who was forced to give birth to her daughter, Halo in 2023, despite knowing that she would survive just a few painful hours. “People assume that so-called ‘exceptions’ to the ban help people like me. I was not an exception. That’s why I continue to speak about this, because together we can make a change, and together we can make sure people know that this is real.”
“I was denied care because of the ban in Texas, and was told that I had to wait until I met the one medical exception in our state which is the life of the mother. So I was either waiting for the baby’s heart to stop, or waiting until I got so sick that I deserved care,” said Amanda Zurawski, who went into septic shock twice and nearly lost her life after being denied an abortion in 2022. Zurawski sued the state of Texas, but her challenge was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas. Still, Zurawski pledged to continue spotlighting the deathly consequences of abortion bans: “In this new political landscape, what I want people to understand is that this fight is not over. This work is not done. I am not going anywhere.”
If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us.
You can watch the virtual press event here, and learn more about how Republican officials plan to restrict reproductive freedom here.
###
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.