Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Local Patient Advocates Mark Would-Be Roe Anniversary, Warn of Coming Attacks on Reproductive Freedom

For Immediate Release

January 22, 2025 

Contact: Kelly Rimar kelly@freeandjust.us 

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.

Patients and Providers from Wisconsin and Georgia Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans and Attacks on Reproductive Freedom at Congressional Hearing on Project 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, two women whose lives have been upended by attacks on abortion access and reproductive freedom traveled to Washington to share their stories with the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee at a hearing on Project 2025 and what’s at stake for communities across the country. 

Project 2025 lays bare what conservatives and extremists plan to do next on abortion and reproductive freedom. These plans include using federal power to ban abortion nationwide and restrict access to contraception, reversing FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, which is used in about half of US abortions, requiring states where abortion access is legally protected to report when patients travel from out of state for care, and prohibiting “embryonic research” which could put access to IVF treatment at risk.

At the hearing, Gracie Ladd, an oncology nurse from Nashotah, Wisconsin shared how she was forced to travel out of state for abortion care earlier this year when she learned that her son, Connor, was developing without a bladder or functioning kidneys, and had several serious heart defects that meant he would not survive more than a few minutes if she carried the pregnancy to term. Out of love and compassion for their son, Gracie and her husband chose to terminate the pregnancy, sparing Connor suffering. 

Gracie described feeling angry that attacks on access to abortion in Wisconsin meant she had to travel out of state for medical care, and frustrated that lawmakers who would never know her or understand her situation had so much power over her experience.

“I’m angry that I had to drive to Chicago for care with a medical team I had never met, for a procedure that took two days and was quite literally the worst two days of my life. I’m angry that although I could take the time off of work, could find childcare for my living son, and afford to make the drive to another state, not all women can. But mostly, I’m angry that people who weren’t in that ultrasound room with me while I received the news that tore my world apart get to decide whether or not the medical choice on how to best move forward is not mine to make.”

Gracie also warned that if anti-abortion extremists get their way, people like her would have an even harder time accessing the care they need.

“Today I’m here to share that I’m angry because if Republicans get their way and pass Project 2025’s national abortion ban, I wouldn’t have even had the freedom to leave my state for the health care that is my right to receive.”

Suki O, an ultrasound technician in the Atlanta area who helps people seeking abortion care described finding “her home” in the abortion care community, but grew emotional when discussing the deaths of fellow Georgia women Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who lost their lives as a result of the state’s harsh abortion ban. 

“Amber's death hit me hard as she was a part of my community. A community that I've called home for 22 years. She died in a hospital where I've worked and a place where I watched my grandson be born. If these bans hadn't been put in place I might have been the person to perform Amber or Candi’s ultrasound. I might have been able to make them smile, give them a hug or listen to them tell me thank you. How many more Black women have to die or have died as a result of abortion bans?”

Suki shared that in her role as an ultrasound technician, she wears many hats and often finds herself comforting patients who have received devastating news about their pregnancy and are faced with few “options” thanks to Georgia’s restrictive abortion laws.

“I'm tired of seeing women being forced to travel out of state to have an abortion. I'm tired of wiping away tears after being forced to tell women they are too far along under Georgia’s abortion ban. These women deserve to have autonomy over their bodies to make decisions that are best for them.”

If you are interested in speaking with Gracie Ladd or Suki O. about their testimony, their experiences, or what’s at stake for abortion access and reproductive freedom, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

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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.

“Ride to Decide” National Bus Tour Arrives in Milwaukee to Highlight Harms of Abortion Bans as Extremists at RNC Attempt to Distance Themselves from Shameful Record on Reproductive Freedom

MILWAUKEE, WI –– Today, health care providers, patient advocates, religious leaders, and local community members joined Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour event in Milwaukee to set the record straight as conservatives at the Republican National Convention attempt to distance themselves from their long and shameful record of attacking access to abortion and reproductive health care. Speakers at the event also highlighted what’s at stake for Wisconsinites and people across the country as extremists 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, health care providers, and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Wisconsin and across the country.

Speaking about the landscape after the fall of Roe,  Alenna Beroza, a medical student in Milwaukee said, “The ever-changing legal landscapes have shifted the focus of medical institutions and physicians to understanding and abiding by complicated laws, rather than focusing on what matters most – patient care and medical education,” and added that, “these laws have made people confused and scared, from patients to providers. People do not know what they can share with their doctor or where to turn.”

“One thing I learned in all of those clinics and in every congregation I have pastored is that people – whether they are Baptist or Catholic or Pentecostal or Hindu or Jewish or Muslim – they all get abortions. And they all use birth control. So stop lying to yourselves and thinking that a law that is passed will change anyone’s values. They do not change people’s values,” said Rev. Denise Cawley, a Unitarian Universalist Minister and a former Chaplain at Planned Parenthood. “We need to stop pretending there’s only on faith and one belief out there that should be allowed to influence health care, or your body, or if you use IVF, or what happens if you have a miscarriage or a pregnancy that’s unsafe or a body that doesn’t fit into the standard binaries of gender.”

“Abortion bans traumatize women. Lasting bodily damage occurs and women die. But physicians suffer as well,” said Dr. Callie Cox Bauer, an OBGYN from Milwaukee. “We know what care is needed, and we know that it is illegal to give it, and we are forced to watch people suffer for fear of being charged with a felony and possibly losing our medical license, because of policies made by white men that will never sit in our exam rooms or with our patients. They will never hear the cry of the mother whose baby has no brain, the patient that was raped, the mother that has 5 kids at home in an abusive relationship, or the teen that has big dreams to elevate out of poverty, or the little girl that was forced into sex work. They will never sit there with me and tell them they can try to get out of the state, or they must continue the pregnancy.”

“I’m angry because only one hospital in Wisconsin would offer the termination procedure for me to give Connor the grace of a painless death and a life that only felt love,” said Gracie Ladd, a nurse from Nashotah who was forced to travel out of state for abortion care when she learned that her son, Connor, was developing without a bladder or functioning kidneys, and had several serious heart defects that meant he would not survive more than a few minutes if she carried the pregnancy to term. “I’m angry because there is no guarantee in this state that I would not be labeled a murderer for making the compassionate choice. But mostly, I’m angry that people who weren’t in that ultrasound room with me while I received the news that tore my world apart got to decide whether or not I should be allowed to make this medical decision for myself.”

“Extremist lawmakers seek to enshrine into state or federal law one narrow religious belief that violates my First Amendment rights to follow and to impart to my community the teachings of Jewish law and tradition,” said Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, the Executive Director of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and former chair of the Wisconsin Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. “The extremists’ goals are laid bare in Project 2025, which would empower an authoritarian executive branch to enact broad restrictions on abortion and contraception access, among other extreme and dangerous proposals. Don’t let efforts to downplay this fool you, this is their goal.”

“While this is a deeply personal issue for me, I am also professionally aware of the disparate effect that this type of legislation has on already vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Laura Swoboda, a nurse practitioner based in Milwaukee who had an abortion herself. “Affluent Wisconsinites will still have access to travel to states where they can receive care, while those unable to afford this cost or the social and professional conflicts this creates are forced into situations against their will. These barriers to accessing care have been intentionally designed, not to protect the health of anyone but simply to prevent their access to healthcare.”

Next week, the “Ride to Decide” tour will travel through Texas, 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 would like photos from the event or 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.

“Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Kickoff in Madison Brings Together Religious Leaders, Health Care Providers, and Patient Advocates to Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans and Demand Federal Protections

MADISON, WI –– Today, former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, State Representative Lisa Subeck (AD-78), and Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All joined religious leaders, health care providers, and patient advocates to kick off Free & Just’s  nationwide “Ride to Decide” bus tour event in Madison. The Ride to Decide bus tour comes as conservatives at the Republican National Convention attempt to distance themselves from their long and shameful record of attacking access to abortion and reproductive health care. 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, health care providers, and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Wisconsin and across the country.

“The extremists' anti-abortion playbook is nothing new, but it has expanded to include attacks on access to IVF treatment, restrictions on access to medication abortion, and even more,” said former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who highlighted how attacks on access to reproductive health care continue to escalate. “Every time extremist lawmakers have an opportunity to protect access to reproductive health care at the federal level, they vote against freedom and they vote against American women. We need to do everything we can to hold these lawmakers accountable.”

“As an elected official, it is my role to ensure that individuals have access to the health care they need, when they need it. It is not my role to make personal decisions for them,” said State Representative Lisa Subeck, who represents the 78th Assembly District in Wisconsin. “Time and time again, extreme conservative politicians and elected officials here in Wisconsin and at the federal level have taken swipe after swipe at our rights. Our basic reproductive freedom is at risk – we cannot be free if we cannot make our own decisions about our bodies, our families, and our futures.”

“Two years after the Dobbs decision, we are still fighting every day. The threat is real,” said Mini Timmaraju, the President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All. “Just over an hour away from where we are right now, anti-abortion extremists are trying to take away even more of our rights. We have to keep fighting to secure our freedoms.”

“Efforts to take away our freedoms didn’t stop at ending Roe – they only intensified,” said Dr. Kathy Hartke, a board certified OBGYN and the former dormer Chair of the Wisconsin Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Hartke urged the audience to learn more about Project 2025, the conservative policy agenda that lays bare what extremists plan to do next on abortion and reproductive freedom. “Abortion is mentioned 199 times throughout Project 2025, and the blueprint aims to prevent abortion from the moment of conception. This is scary, and if you have not already, I encourage you to look it up today.” 

“While legislators and courts are rolling back reproductive rights, we know that the vast majority of Americans support access to abortion and reproductive health care,” said Reverend David Hart, a Pastor at the Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church of Madison. “Today, I am calling on each of you to fight back. We have to stand on the side of women, we have to stand on the side of justice, and we have to stand on the side of rights.”

“Right now is a moment that requires courage,” said Ali Muldrow, the Executive Director of Women’s Medical Fund Wisconsin, an organization that helps Wisconsinites access and pay for abortion care. Muldrow shared her experience accessing abortion care, and highlighted how important access to reproductive health care is for people in dangerous situations. “I am a survivor of domestic violence and I have often said that my ability to access abortion care saved my life. It allowed me to be here today as the person that I am.”

“I had consensual, protected sex. I didn’t realize the condom had broken until a month later when I was very sick,” said Dana Pellebon, the Executive Director of RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center in Dane County, who highlighted how empowering access to abortion care can be. “I had an abortion because I wanted to live my life in the way I needed to live it – and that is a choice I don’t regret.”

“Make no mistake – what extremist lawmakers are doing is not about morality, it’s about power and control,” said Reverend Tim Schaefer, a Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Madison and a member of the Wisconsin Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. “People of all faiths, and those who do not subscribe to any particular faith, must stand together against this siege on our freedoms before we lose our right to make decisions about our own health, families, and futures.”

“Just weeks ago, Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted against the Right to Contraception Act, “ said Irene Strohbeen, the Acting President of the Appleton Area chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). “The overturning of Roe and the Senate voting against expanding access to contraception are part of a slippery slope – and we don’t like where we’re see this going.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin 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.

If you would like footage or photos from the event or 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.