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. 

###

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.

At “Ride to Decide” National Bus Tour Event in Shreveport, Mother Denied Emergency Abortion Care, Patients, and Community Leaders Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour arrived in Shreveport to highlight what’s at stake as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. The event was hosted at the former Hope Medical Group for Women, which provided abortion care to the community for forty-two years before being forced to close due to Louisiana’s harsh abortion ban.

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 treatments. 

At the event, local patient storytellers and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Louisiana and across the country.

“I saw firsthand what it is like to live under a strict abortion ban,” said Kaitlyn Joshua of Baton Rouge, who was turned away from two different hospitals while bleeding heavily and suffering a miscarriage. “We are on the frontlines of reproductive justice here in Louisiana, and it’s so energizing to see women, men, and families fighting to take our power back.”

Billy Anderson, an organizer with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice reflected on the role of the now-closed Hope Medical Group for Women in the Shreveport community: “The clinic where we are today has given women in the Shreveport area the opportunity to continue their lives. I want that for my friends and for my family.”

“Not only did my abortion allow me time to grow into the woman I am now, it also allowed me to be the mother I am today,” said April Smalley, a Shreveport mom who came to Hope Medical Group for Women for abortion care in her early twenties. “We deserve access to care and the privacy to make decisions about our own bodies. These are decisions that should be made by women, not lawmakers.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Florida next, where storytellers in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando 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. 

###

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.

At “Ride to Decide” National Bus Tour Event in Baton Rouge, Patients Denied Abortion Care in Louisiana Spotlight Harms and Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide'' national bus tour stopped in Baton Rouge 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 and community leaders shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Louisiana and across the country.

“Women are being sent to other states for care, and that’s just unacceptable,” said Kaitlyn Joshua of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who was turned away from two different hospitals while bleeding heavily and suffering a miscarriage. “We need our families and our friends to get educated on this issue, and understand the intersectionality of abortion care and basic maternal health care – you can’t have one without the other.” 

“I am furious, I am angry, and I am disgusted,” said Nancy Davis, who was forced to travel nearly 1,500 miles to receive care in New York, when she learned that the baby she was pregnant with had acrania, a rare, but fatal condition. “This wasn’t just a denial of medical care – it was a denial of compassion, rights, and justice.” Outraged by her experience, she founded the Nancy Davis Foundation, which aids individuals who have endured trauma due to a prenatal developmental defect during pregnancy and advocates for reproductive justice.

“The restrictions imposed on women seeking abortion care in Louisiana are not just legal barriers – they are barriers to our autonomy, our health, and our rights,” said Bree Anderson, the co-founder of the A’sani Heartbeat Foundation, a local organization dedicated to advancing reproductive justice. The A’sani Heartbeat Foundation is named for Anderson’s daughter, who was born prematurely and passed away after eight days in the NICU. “These are not just policies, they are injustices that disproportionately affect women, especially those from marginalized communities.”

“I don’t have a personal story about abortion that I can share, but when Bree, and Nancy, and Kait, and thousands of other women are denied access to care – it happens to me,” said Dr. Alfreda Tillman Bester, the former Louisiana Secretary of Labor who served as General Counsel for the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP. Dr. Tillman Bester thanked the women for sharing their stories, and urged her fellow Louisianans to understand how dangerous abortion bans are.

Angela Adkins, the Executive Director of 10,000 Women Louisiana, who served as the Director of Operations for two of the last three abortion clinics in Louisiana, described her work as a clinic escort as attacks from anti-abortion extremists escalated. “This work, while it was very hard and extremely stressful, was the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Shreveport, Louisiana 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. 

###

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.

At “Ride to Decide” National Bus Tour Event in Houston, Patients Who Sued Texas Over Abortion Ban, Health Care Providers, and Community Leaders Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom

HOUSTON, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour arrived in Houston 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, Amanda Zurawski and Samantha Casiano, who sued the state of Texas after being denied care joined health care providers, and community members to highlight how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.

“I went to Washington, DC to beg our senators to do something about this crisis, and they couldn’t even be bothered to be in the room while I was testifying,” said Amanda Zurawski, who went into septic shock twice and nearly lost her life after being denied an abortion in Texas is 2022. Zurawski sued the state of Texas, but her challenge was recently rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas. “The way to fix this problem is to continue to tell our stories. We need to have these conversations with the people that we care about, and we need to have them often. We need them to understand what is at stake and why they should care.”

“Medical boards and lawmakers will tell us that there are exceptions to abortion bans, but where? I was not an ‘exception,’ Amanda Zurawski was not an ‘exception,’” 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 hours. “Women aren’t being granted exceptions, and people need to see that.” Casiano joined the women suing the state as a plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, and continues to share what happened to her family, despite how painful it is reliving the experience. 

“When abortion is banned, people don’t stop needing access to this care. It’s these people who I think about every time a new restriction is passed,” said Dr. Bhavik Kumar, a local abortion provider and family medicine physician who serves as the Medical Director for Primary and Trans Care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. “Anti-abortion extremists will not stop until abortion care is completely banned in the entire country. Their tactics are ruthless and senseless.”

“It’s just as normal to feel dread about a pregnancy as it is to feel excitement – what is not normal is conservative politicians thinking that they get to have any kind of feelings about your pregnancy,” said Micaela, a nurse midwife in the Houston area who shared how Texas’ strict abortion ban has changed the practice environment for health care providers across the state. “I have seen friends and colleagues – nurses, midwives, and physicians alike – leave Texas altogether because they’re tired of politicians trying to practice medicine, and they’re unwilling to work in a state that threatens to sue them for taking care of people.”

“We know it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Gjabrielle Guterrez, the Managing Director of Deeds Not Words, an organization which seeks to elevate the voices and power of young women through civic engagement and advocacy training. “That’s why we’re fighting to hold lawmakers for harmful attacks on the people and families in our communities. We all deserve better.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Louisiana next, where local storytellers in Baton Rouge and Shreveport 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. 

###

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.

At “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event in Austin, Mother Who Sued Texas Over Abortion Ban, Former Under Sec. Gina Ortiz Jones, and Local Leaders Highlight What’s at Stake for Reproductive Freedom

AUSTIN, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide'' national bus tour stopped in Austin 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, community members, and Councilwoman Fuentes shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.

“I truly cannot emphasize the fear I felt while arranging flights to flee the state for care, worried I’d be arrested in the airport,” said Taylor Edwards, a mother who was forced to travel to Colorado for care when she learned that her baby had encephalocele, a defect of the neural tube that meant the baby would not survive outside the womb. “Situations like mine are not unique, and Texans are faced with this every single day. Reproductive rights are under attack, IVF is under attack, birth control is under attack, and abortion is under attack. We have to stand together and fight against these attacks, because they will just get more extreme.”

Edwards joined women from across Texas as a plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas, the first-of-its-kind legal challenge that sought to provide clarity for doctors and patients experiencing medical emergencies in Texas. In May, their challenge was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas.

“We can’t forget that when abortion is ‘left up to the states,’ in places like Texas, that looks like forced sepsis, it looks like being forced to carry a fetus that is not going to be viable, and it means planning for a birth while at the same time, planning for a funeral,” said Former Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones, the first woman of color and LGBTQ+ individual to serve in this role, and a fearless advocate for reproductive freedom. “It’s inhumane, it’s cruel, and it is unnecessary. We can never forget that it does not have to be this way.”

“Here at the local-level, we will do everything we can to provide protection to Austinites,” said Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who represents Austin’s second district on the City Council. Council Member Fuentes urged local officials across the country to do everything they can to protect access to abortion care in their communities, even as attacks escalate at the federal-level. “Even in a state like Texas, there are things that we can and should be doing. Don’t let anyone tell you that local leaders can’t step up.” In 2022, Council Member Fuentes co-sponsored the GRACE Act, legislation to protect access to abortion care for everyone in the city.

“My story mirrors that of many others and emphasizes that health care provision cannot conform to one-size-fits-all legislation,” said DakotaRei Frausto, a college student and reproductive justice organizer from San Antonio who was forced to travel to New Mexico for abortion care at age 17 after Senate Bill 8 took effect in Texas. Frausto warned that attacks on access to reproductive health care have far-reaching and devastating implications for everyone. “Any attack on ‘unfavorable’ health care access inevitably impacts all health care access.”

“Our power to fight these regressive abortion bans is in community. We know this, and those robbing us of our reproductive autonomy know this. It is why these laws are written to break apart support systems and to leave abortion seekers isolated, ” said Joslynn Sanchez, a Policy and Advocacy Manager with Deeds Not Words, an organization dedicated to galvanizing the power of young people to become agents of change igniting cultural shifts through leader development, grassroots organizing, and the power of creative expression. “But where lawmakers fail is where communities and young people have chosen to fill the gaps. And we will eradicate these gaps and lapses of freedoms by galvanizing the power of youth to create change and progress. We won’t go back!”

“The fight here in Texas is more than just a fight to restore access to safe and legal abortion – it’s about our freedom to decide if and when we want to have a family,” said Andrea Flores, a gender justice advocacy organizer with MOVE Texas, an organization dedicated to building the political power of young people in underrepresented communities. “Our energy, our passion, and our determination are unmatched, and we will continue to fight for a future where reproductive justice is a reality for all. The young people in Texas are the tipping point for the nation.” 

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to San Antonio, then Houston, Texas 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. 

###

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.

At “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event in San Antonio, Councilwoman Cabello Havrda, Patients, and Local Advocates Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans and Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide'' national bus tour stopped in San Antonio 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, youth activists, and community leaders shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.

“We’re seeing abortion bans are being coupled with birth control bans, gender-affirming care bans, IVF bans, and even prenatal testing bans,” said DakotaRei Frausto, a college student and reproductive justice organizer from San Antonio who was forced to travel to New Mexico for abortion care at age 17 after Senate Bill 8 took effect in Texas. “The proposed legislation goes on-and-on. They were never going to stop at banning abortion.” 

“Because of what the state of Texas is doing, our city has become the frontline of reproductive justice,” said Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, who represents District 6 on the San Antonio City Council. Councilwoman Cabello Havrda highlighted how the city is working to meet the needs of communities across San Antonio as attacks on access to reproductive health care escalate. “It’s about more than just abortion, these policies affect all of our communities for a lifetime.”

“The rights that we were promised as children are being taken away from us,” said Oli De Los Santos, a Communications Coordinator with San Marcos Abortion Activists, an organization dedicated to advocating for reproductive justice through direct action, community building, and mutual aid. Explaining why reproductive freedom is a priority for young people in Texas and across the country, De Los Santos added: “The rights we learned about are now gone. That is why so many young people are so motivated right now.”

“We’re already seeing reports of OBGYN students, who are graduating and looking at where to practice, and Texas is not on their list,” said Former Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones, a San Antonio resident, who highlighted how Texas’ extreme abortion ban is driving would-be providers away from communities where access to reproductive health care is already limited. “Frankly, the laws in Texas are making it impossible for providers to uphold their oath to ‘do no harm.’”  

“We are focused on the rights we had and lost,” said Anissa Mancias, a Campus Organizer with Texas Rising, which aims to build the power of young people in communities across Texas. Mancias shared how difficult it is being a young person in Texas, watching as extremist lawmakers erode their freedoms. “We want to be heard, we want our rights back.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Houston, Texas 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.

At “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event at Dallas Church That Helped “Jane Roe,” Patients Who Sued Texas Over State’s Abortion Ban Discuss What’s at Stake as Extremists Work to Ban Abortion Nationwide

DALLAS, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide'' national bus tour stopped in Dallas for a roundtable event at the church that helped Jane Roe decades ago to highlight what’s at stake today as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. Amanda Zurawski and Lauren Miller, plaintiffs in Zurawski v. State of Texas, the first-of-its-kind legal challenge that sought to provide clarity for doctors and patients experiencing medical emergencies in Texas, joined Hollie Cunningham and religious leaders at the roundtable and shared their experience battling for reproductive freedom in Texas. 

“I was 18-weeks pregnant and, unfortunately, had complications that were irreversible. Rather than being given the care that I needed, which at the time would have been an abortion, I had to wait until I met one of the medical exceptions allowed under Texas law,” said Amanda Zurawski, who went into septic shock twice and nearly lost her life after being denied an abortion in 2022. “It’s not just my story I am sharing, it’s the story of so many others. The longer this goes on, the more harm and suffering will take place.” Zurawski sued the state of Texas, but her challenge was recently rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas.

“My happy, healthy son Henry would not be here today if I had not gone out of state for an abortion,” said Lauren Miller, a mother who was forced to travel to Colorado for abortion in 2022 when she learned that one of the twin boys she was pregnant with had a number of fatal fetal conditions that threatened her life and the life of the other twin. “I was able to get the abortion that I needed, but it cost us thousands of dollars and three days of travel for a 15-minute procedure that I should have been able to get just two miles from where we are now.” 

Lauren joined Amanda and others as a plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas, and she continues to fight so that no woman will be forced to endure what she did. Recently, Lauren shared her story with the House Ways and Means committee, but was frustrated by extremist lawmakers’ response.

"When I spoke to the House Ways and Means committee and told this story … I had just shared that story, and Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, whose district we’re in, just flipped her hair and said “well I’m gonna get us back on topic here,” and turned to another speaker. “That should not be how a politician views her constituents. We should not be that irrelevant.”

“Even with a clear medical need, Texas law forced me to flee my home state to get the care that I desperately needed,” said Hollie Cunningham, who was forced to leave the state twice in one year for abortion care after receiving devastating fetal diagnoses in two pregnancies. “The pain and fear of being denied the care needed in my home state will stay with me forever. It breaks my heart knowing that there are other families out there suffering with similar situations who might not have the ability to travel to get the care they need.”

“My faith was central to my decision to have an abortion many years ago,” said Reverend Deneen Robinson, the Executive Director of Truth Pregnancy Resource Center, a non-profit organization founded with the support of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Reverend Robinson described her experience accessing abortion care as loving and “God-centric.” “Now, part of why I do this work is because I believe that everyone should lovingly receive the care that they need because choice is central to having a faith construct.”

“It is part of our DNA here at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, to advocate for, and to lift up the voices of those fighting for the autonomy of their bodies, and for making the choices they want to make in this life,” said Reverend T. J. Fitzgerald, a Minister of Community Care and Community Engagement at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Reverend Fitzgerald described the church’s historic role in the movement for reproductive freedom, highlighting how “Jane Roe” met with church leaders in 1969. 

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. 

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Austin and San Antonio, Texas 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.

“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.