State Rep. Anna Eskamani, Patient Advocates, and Local Leaders Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans and Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom as Ride to Decide Bus Tour Arrives in Orlando

ORLANDO, FL –– Today, State Rep. Anna Eskamani joined patient advocates and local leaders as Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour stopped in Orlando 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, local leaders, and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Florida and across the country.

“Regardless of what your political alliance is, decisions about one’s pregnancy, whether it is to become a parent and raise a child, or choose adoption, or end that pregnancy – the majority of Americans and the majority of Floridians agree that that decision should remain between that person, their family, their doctor, their faith – not politicians,” said State Representative Anna Eskamani, who represents District 42. “Abortion bans don’t actually stop abortion. They just push people who need care to challenging and unsafe means.”

“When I got pregnant, I panicked. I didn’t know how far along I was, but when I went to my doctor, I was told that I could not at that point in time have an abortion in the state of Florida,” said Keisha Mulfort, a senior communications strategist with the ACLU of Florida, who became pregnant after being told by her doctor that she could not carry a pregnancy and that being pregnant threatened her life. “There was not enough time for my doctors to provide me with adequate information for me to make an informed decision about my own body.” Mulfort urged her fellow Floridians to continue speaking out against abortion bans, and educating their communities about what’s at stake. 

“People in my congregation are asking me if I know how to access the life saving health care that they or their loved ones need. I am devastated to have to tell them about this ban and the many, many barriers to access that our Florida politicians have enacted. About the pain, suffering, and loss that this ban is causing. About the devastating message that it sends to my own young children and all young people,” said Rev. Kierstin Homblette Allen, a Unitarian Universalist minister and the affiliated minister at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando. “Abortion bans are against my religion.” 

“Over the past few years, I have witnessed our Florida legislators continuously attack our reproductive freedom,” said Farah Al Jallad, an organizer with Florida Student Power, an organization that is building power in Black and Brown communities with young people leading the movement and decision-making process. “Each new bill that restricts abortion access makes it even harder for young people to receive basic health care services. Taking away people’s access to their own bodily autonomy does not prevent abortions – it just makes unsafe ones much more common.”

“Florida is under attack, extremism is rampant here and across the country,” said Sarah Parker, the Executive Director of Voices of Florida, a Black and queer-led organization dedicated to defending human rights and reproductive freedom. “Politicians are not health care providers. Politicians do not know what’s best for my family or yours when it comes to reproductive rights or access to abortion. Politicians should not have a say in whether or not someone receives an abortion.”

“This is not a ‘women’s issue,’ it’s a human issue,” said Beverly Casseus, a member of Florida Rising, an organization dedicated to advancing economic and racial justice across Florida. “We must band together, and we must tell Florida that this is not right and we need to change it.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Macon, Georgia 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.

Patient Advocates, Local Leaders, and Abortion Rights Activists Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom at Community Roundtable as “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Arrives in Tampa

TAMPA, FL –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour stopped in Tampa 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 roundtable, local patient storytellers, student organizers, and local leaders shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Florida and across the country.

“There is a literal war happening in Florida for our reproductive rights, and there are casualties to the six-week ban,” said Sarah Parker, the Executive Director of Voices of Florida, a Black and queer-led organization dedicated to defending human rights and reproductive freedom. Parker blasted anti-abortion extremists who claim that “exceptions” under Florida law protect people who need abortions in the state. “There are no exceptions. This is a near total abortion ban, and they do not care. We have to do everything we can to make sure the people we love are safe, and able to access the health care that they need.”

Sabrina Bousbar, a Pinellas County native and former HHS official spoke directly to extremist lawmakers in Florida and across the country: “You need to be held accountable for your actions. You have made it clear that you will do anything in your power to enact a national abortion ban, instead of protecting families or women. You need to stop. These laws are so harmful and do nothing good for your communities. You are supposed to defend us, protect us, and help us. Right now, you’re doing the exact opposite.”

“You don’t know you’re going to need abortion care until you need it,” said Kris Lawler, who serves as Board President of the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund, and highlighted the growing need for support in accessing abortion care in the Tampa Bay area. “We see people come to us who don’t know about the six-week ban, don’t know where their nearest clinic is, or don’t know that they’re in a county that doesn’t have a clinic at all. That’s why we should all speak up. Speak to your friends and family about how to access abortion care and how to fight for reproductive justice.”

“Florida is not a safe place to be pregnant right now,” said Bree Wallace, the Director of Case Management at the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund who highlighted how the state’s current abortion ban is creating confusion among patients, and making it difficult for all communities to access the care they need. “The six-week ban that is in place right now affects all of us, including people who want to be pregnant, or people who already have children and know that they can’t have more right now for a number of reasons.”

“If we remain silent, nothing will change,” said Alyssa White, an organizer with Florida Student Power, an organization that is building power in Black and Brown communities with young people leading the movement and decision-making process. “Sharing information and educating the community on the current abortion ban, and where they can go to access care is important. If we don’t talk about this, who will?”

“Today, I am reminded that together we can work to make sure that everyone in Tampa Bay and across Florida has access to health care, is respected, and is reminded that they are worthy of dignity,” said Jennifer De Jesus, the Chief Learning & Equity Officer of Pro-Choice Therapists, who moderated the discussion. 

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Orlando next, where State Representative Anna Eskamani will join local storytellers to 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.

Patient Advocates, Local Leaders, and Abortion Rights Activists Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom at “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event in Miami

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.