“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.

BREAKING: Supreme Court Punts Case Threatening Lifesaving Care, Opens Door to Future Challenges

SCOTUS kicks the can down the road on abortion for the second time in a single term, leaving patients and doctors across the country confused 

WASHINGTON, DC –– Today, the Supreme Court dismissed Idaho and Moyle, et al. v. United States, sending the case back to the lower courts and leaving the door open for additional attacks on access to lifesaving emergency care across the country. Though the dismissal may provide temporary relief to the people of Idaho who will now be able to access lifesaving emergency abortion care, this decision is not a victory for abortion rights. The Supreme Court has sent a clear signal that abortion access remains under attack, rather than affirming the right for people to access the lifesaving care that they need. 

Following the release of the opinion, emergency medicine physicians and patient storytellers from Idaho as well as across the country released statements highlighting how the Supreme Court’s decision leaves communities across the country confused and puts lives at risk. 

"My job is to provide evidence-based, rapid emergency care for anyone and everyone who comes into an ED-- not to wade through confusing legal jargon,” said Dr. Jessica Evans-Wall, an emergency medicine physician who practices in Boise, Idaho. “Today’s decision from the Supreme Court offers little clarity for doctors like me. Instead of breathing a sigh of relief, I am worried about what’s on the horizon as legal challenges are sure to continue. I am worried that our patients will continue to not be able to access care they need where they live."

“I nearly lost my wife Anya in 2022 after she was denied an abortion here in Florida, and the experience left our entire family traumatized,” said Derick Cook, a husband and father in Florida, whose wife lost almost half of the blood in her body and was put on life support after turned away from the hospital while experiencing a miscarriage caused by preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). “Today’s decision from the Supreme Court means that what happened to Anya could happen to people across the country, and I am devastated for the families that will be affected.” 

“I nearly lost my life two years ago when I was denied emergency abortion care in Texas. Although I'm relieved that patients in Idaho will temporarily be protected by the Court's injunction, this is not enough. This ruling from the Supreme Court is another cowardly example of kicking the can on lifesaving care,” said Amanda Zurawski, a patient who spent three days in the ICU after being denied an abortion in 2022. “The fact remains that women across the country will experience what I did, and the legal back-and-forth only interferes with doctors’ ability to do their jobs, leaving patients at risk.” 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.

“Today’s decision leaves doctors and patients across the country vulnerable,” said Dr. Jessica Kroll, the President of the Idaho College of Emergency Physicians and a practicing emergency medicine physician who highlighted ongoing attacks on abortion rights and reproductive freedom leave doctors and patients confused. “The emergency room is no place for parsing through complex legal doctrine, and I feel like the Court is asking doctors like me to be lawyers, not doctors first.”

“When I experienced heavy bleeding near the end of my first trimester, I expected to receive care and information about my condition from the doctors I saw in the ER, ” said Kaitlyn Joshua of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who was turned away from two different hospitals while suffering a miscarriage. “Instead, I was sent home confused, and made to wait until I got sicker. It was a terrifying experience, and one I hoped no other women would be forced to endure. Instead of protecting access to lifesaving care, the Supreme Court opened the door for even more attacks, and patients’ lives are still at risk.”

“Today’s decision from the Supreme Court opens the door for additional attacks on access to lifesaving care, and means that doctors and patients across the country will continue to deal with legal uncertainty in the ER,” said Veronica Ingahm, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “It’s irresponsible and unfair for the Court to put women and providers in this position, especially as attacks on abortion continue to escalate.”

Protecting abortion rights and expanding access to care has never been more universally popular, uniting Americans of all race, gender, socio-economic status, geography, and political affiliation. Recent survey data found that while only 15% of people had heard a lot or some about the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, the protections guaranteed by the law are overwhelmingly popular across party lines even after a simple description. Today, the Supreme Court refused to affirm those protections, 

If you are interested in speaking with any of the storytellers quoted above, 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.

SCOTUS Leak Confirms Abortion Still Under Attack

WASHINGTON, DC –– Today, Bloomberg obtained a draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Idaho and Moyle, et al. v. United States, a case that could gut the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). 

Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaign Director for Free & Just released the following statement in response to the new reporting:

“The leaked opinion is a clear signal that abortion access is still under attack and threats to lifesaving medical care will continue to escalate. Women shouldn’t need a law degree to know if they can get the care they need, and the Supreme Court kicking the can on abortion twice in a single term only creates confusion for doctors and patients across the country and puts people’s lives at risk. We don’t know for certain if the opinion posted earlier today is official, but we do know that extremist lawmakers will not stop until abortion is banned nationwide.”

Earlier this month, emergency medicine physicians from Idaho, Oregon, and New York City, and patients with experience being denied care joined Free & Just to highlight how ongoing attacks on abortion rights and reproductive freedom leave doctors and patients confused and vulnerable. 

“In Idaho, we are practicing confused and afraid and it’s hurting patients,” said Dr. Jessica Kroll, the President of the Idaho College of Emergency Physicians and a practicing emergency medicine physician, who shared how Idaho’s law is already affecting patients and providers across the state. “Our job is to take care of patients, not to be moral police in the emergency room.”

If you are interested in speaking with storytellers about today’s leak, 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.

On Two-Year Anniversary of SCOTUS Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade, New Ads Highlight Devastating Impact on Families Across the Country

Seven figure ad buy in Wisconsin and Ohio warns that extremist lawmakers will not stop until they pass a national abortion ban

WASHINGTON, DC –– Today, Free & Just is marking the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to take away nationwide abortion protections by overturning Roe v. Wade with new radio and TV ads in Wisconsin and Ohio highlighting how abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom are harming real people across the country. The spots, which feature storytellers impacted by attacks on abortion access, warn that extremist lawmakers remain committed to passing a national abortion ban, and will stop at nothing to take away our rights – even though it remains widely unpopular.

Over the past two years, attacks on reproductive freedom have escalated since the Supreme Court eliminated national abortion rights protections. These include recent efforts to restrict IVF access and potential bans on life-saving care for women in crisis. The vast majority of Americans support reproductive freedom and abortion access, despite the decimation of the right to access abortion by the conservative Supreme Court, including three Trump-appointed justices. Polling shows that 61% of Americans disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and a majority of Americans (8 in 10) say that the decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and their doctor.

Following the launch of the ads, patients and providers from across the country, including those featured in the new ads, released statements on the status of abortion access since the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and ongoing attacks on reproductive freedom.  

“For a long time, I paid little attention to the debate around access to abortion. I didn’t feel like it affected me personally, and it’s easy to tune out. But, my perspective on abortion changed when I had to travel out of state for abortion care,” said Megan Kling, a mom from rural Wisconsin who chose to end her pregnancy following a devastating fatal, fetal diagnosis. “I chose abortion out of love for myself, love for my family, and pure love for my baby boy. I want every woman across the country to be able to make the right decision for themselves, too.” 

“As parents, nothing could have prepared us for the shock of learning that our daughter was sent home from the hospital when she needed urgent medical care,” said Mike and Cheri Eid, whose daughter Amanda Zurawski nearly died after she was denied emergency abortion care in 2022, shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. “The past two years have been a nightmare for families like ours. For Amanda, and for every other person affected by the onerous, poorly conceived and implemented state laws that followed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, we must stop these cruel, anything but ‘pro-life’ abortion bans.”

“Abortion care is a critical part of high-risk pregnancy care,” said Dr. Nicole Teal, a maternal fetal medicine specialist from North Carolina who relocated to San Diego, California, where she can provide the full spectrum of reproductive care for her patients. “Abortion bans put doctors like me in impossible situations and severely undermine the care we’re trained to provide our patients. My heart breaks for the communities left with limited access to care because anti-abortion lawmakers drove them out of state.”

“I was one month into my pregnancy when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, and I knew that women like me, who were carrying very wanted pregnancies, would be affected,” said Anne Angus, a Montana woman who was forced to travel out of state for abortion care after her baby was diagnosed with Eagle-Barrett syndrome. “Losing my pregnancy was traumatic, but IVF has given me hope that my husband and I can have a healthy pregnancy as we try to grow our family. But extremist lawmakers were never going to stop at overturning Roe, and now I have to worry about whether I will even be able to continue treatment, as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate.” 

“Here in Georgia, extremists are going out of their way to threaten and attack people seeking abortion care,” Suki O, an ultrasound tech who has practiced in Georgia for over twenty years. “The last two years have been incredibly challenging, but my patients are heroes, and I am proud to care for them no matter what.”

“Abortion bans hurt all of us, no matter where we live,” said Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “Today, we await a decision in Idaho and Moyle, et al. v. United States, the case that could put lifesaving emergency care out of reach for women across the country. That case – and countless others – is only being heard because the Supreme Court ripped away the fundamental right to make medical decisions with their family and their doctor, and without the meddling of politicians. Now more than ever, we must amplify the voices of people whose lives were changed forever by the Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade so that we can stop further attacks on our freedoms.”

You can listen to the ad featuring Megan Kling from Wisconsin here, and watch the ads featuring the Eids here and here.

If you are interested in speaking with any of the storytellers quoted above, 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.

BREAKING: Supreme Court Dismisses Challenge to Medication Abortion on a Technicality as Attacks on Reproductive Freedom Continue to Escalate

Decision in SCOTUS case that could restrict access to lifesaving care nationwide still pending

WASHINGTON, DC –– Today, the Supreme Court dismissed the legal challenge to the abortion medication mifepristone in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. For now, medication abortion – a safe and effective FDA approved method for ending a pregnancy up to 10-weeks – will remain available, but anti-abortion extremists are more emboldened than ever, and restrictions on access to all forms of reproductive health care, including medication abortion, will continue. 

Medication abortion accounts for over half of all abortions in the United States, and in 2023, mifepristone was used in 63 percent of all abortions. More than six in ten Americans favor keeping mifepristone available. as a prescription drug, and it’s clear why: Medication abortion gives patients the power to safely terminate their pregnancies in the comfort and privacy of their homes.

Despite its popularity, anti-abortion extremists remain committed to restricting access to medication abortion, and they will use any tool at their disposal to do it, including manipulating the Comstock Act. Originally enacted over 150 years ago, the Comstock Act is an obscure anti-obscenity law. Anti-abortion lawmakers are using the Comstock Act, a 150-year-old law, to ban medication abortion, even in states where it is protected.

Given the gravity of the Comstock Act, awareness is alarmingly low. New polling from Navigator Research and Global Strategy Group finds that two in three Americans are unaware of its existence or its potential implications, but seven in ten Americans oppose the law after learning more context, and support changing it by a nearly 40-point margin. 

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, patients and advocates from across the country released statements highlighting what is at stake as attacks on reproductive freedom continue.

“When my birth control failed and I became pregnant for the second time, my entire life turned upside down. I went from being my family’s breadwinner and the main caretaker of my son to being so physically ill that I was not able to get off of the couch, said Anastasia Soluna from Madison, Wisconsin. “Within hours of taking abortion medication, I could sit up and hold my child again. The next day, I was playing with him and able to go back to work. While today’s Supreme Court upholds access to medication abortion, it is clear that the attacks on this critical form of reproductive health care won’t stop here. People across the country must be able to continue to access the abortion care they need.” 

“If I wasn’t able to access a medication abortion as a college student, I would have taken my own life,” said Emma Burns from Flagstaff, Arizona. “Because of Arizona’s hostile abortion landscape and unnecessary regulations, I was almost unable to receive the medication I needed. This is what anti-abortion lawmakers want for people across the country, and they will do whatever it takes to ban abortion nationwide.”

“Access to medication abortion saved my life,” said Carrie Frail, an Air Force Veteran in Missouri who credits medication abortion with allowing her to escape an abusive relationship. “Restrictions on abortion access exacerbate the effects of domestic violence and threaten women’s lives. Although the Supreme Court’s decision today does not limit access to the abortion pill at this moment, women’s lives, like mine, will continue to be on the line as attacks on abortion access and reproductive freedom continue across the country.”

“Let’s be clear – the Supreme Court dismissing this case is not a reprieve from attacks on abortion access, including medication abortion,” said Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “As we await a decision in Idaho and Moyle, et al. v. United States, the case that could put lifesaving emergency care out of reach for women across the country, we must remember that extremist lawmakers will not stop until abortion is banned across the country.”

Soon, the Supreme Court will issue a decision in Idaho and Moyle, et al. v. United States, a pending Supreme Court case that could gut the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), a nearly forty year old law that guarantees that pregnant women experiencing medical emergencies can receive lifesaving care at hospitals across the country. If the Court sides with anti-abortion extremists, women across the country – even in states where abortion access is still legally protected – will be denied care when they need it most. 

If you are interested in speaking with any of the storytellers quoted above, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us.  

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Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

After Boasting Support for IVF, Anti-Abortion Senators Block Legislation to Protect Access to IVF Treatment

The Right to IVF Act would lower costs and expand access to IVF treatment nationwide  

WASHINGTON, DC –– Today, anti-abortion extremists in the Senate blocked the Right to IVF Act, legislation that would preserve access to IVF treatment and make the procedure more affordable for families across the country. In an attempt to distract from today’s vote, all 49 Senate Republicans signed onto a statement proclaiming support for IVF just hours before voting against the Right to IVF Act. 

The vote comes nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade jeopardized access to IVF treatment nationwide, and marks the second time in one week that anti-abortion lawmakers have voted to restrict access to reproductive health care.

In an effort to distance themselves from the fallout of overturning Roe, anti-abortion lawmakers continue to assert false claims supporting protecting access to IVF treatment. In reality, today’s vote marks the third time in five months that anti-abortion extremists in the Senate have blocked legislation that would protect access to IVF treatment. Instead of delivering on their promise to protect IVF, by passing legislation like the Right to IVF Act, anti-abortion lawmakers like Senators Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas are pushing bogus bills that fall far short of preserving access to IVF treatment.

Protecting access to IVF treatment is overwhelmingly popular. According to recent polling 4 in 5 Americans believe IVF should be legal, and 2 in 3 disagree with the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year that embryos could be legally considered as children. Still, anti-abortion lawmakers continue to block legislation that would protect access to IVF across the country.

Following today’s vote, IVF patients from across the country expressed frustration and shared how ongoing attacks on reproductive freedom have affected their families. 

“The opportunity to grow my family on my own terms means a lot to me, especially after being robbed of the power to manage my last pregnancy by extremist lawmakers in Wisconsin,” said Dr. Anna Igler, an OB/GYN based in Green Bay who was forced to travel to Colorado for abortion care after receiving a devastating fetal diagnosis during her last pregnancy. “I am outraged that the same lawmakers who claim to support growing families like mine continue to stand in the way of protecting access to IVF treatment. It’s hypocrisy, plain and simple.” 

“Deciding to become a parent and going through IVF treatment is a deeply personal experience.,” said Anne Angus from Montana who adjusted her own IVF treatment timeline when anti-abortion lawmakers began targeting access to IVF. “On top of the physically grueling process, patients like me now have to worry about whether they will even be able to continue treatment. This is a decision that shouldn't be happening on anyone else’s timeline; it should be on mine. Instead of empowering people like me who are trying to expand their families, extremist lawmakers are threatening it. ”

“I am sure that Senator Britt would applaud me if I told her how badly I want to be a mom,” said Emily Capilouto, an IVF patient in Alabama whose treatment was halted after the state’s Supreme Court ruled that embryos could be legally considered as children. “My Senator would applaud and then vote against protecting access to IVF treatment for people like me. It doesn’t make sense.” 

“Anti-abortion lawmakers love to brag about their support for growing families, but the truth is that these same lawmakers continue to take actions that restrict reproductive freedom and attacks on IVF are just another way for them to chip away at access to comprehensive reproductive health care,” said Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “As we await a decision in Idaho and Moyle, et al. v. United States, the case that could put lifesaving emergency care out of reach for women across the country, we must remember that extremist lawmakers will not stop until abortion is banned across the country.”

If you are interested in speaking with any of the storytellers quoted above, 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.

Extremist Anti-Abortion Senators Oppose Access to Contraception Across the Country

Despite support from nearly 8 in 10 Americans, anti-abortion extremists vote against Right to Contraception Act

WASHINGTON, DC –– Today, anti-abortion extremists in the United States Senate voted against the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would protect access to basic birth control like oral contraceptives and IUDs at the federal level. The vote comes nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping millions of women of their right to safe and legal abortion. 

In the two years since the Trump-appointed Supreme Court overturned Roe, anti-abortion extremists have restricted reproductive freedom even further: They have limited access to contraception, including safe and FDA-approved abortion pills like mifepristone, blocked protections for IVF, and denied women the medical care they need to survive. In July 2022, 195 House Republicans opposed a bill that would have ensured the right to contraception nationally. Now more than ever, enshrining the right to contraception is essential to protect access to reproductive health care.

Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe, most Americans agreed that birth control should be free and widely available if abortion were banned. According to recent polling, most Americans (53%) feel that access to contraception is in jeopardy in their home state, and more than 6 in 10 Americans are concerned that the Supreme Court will eliminate the right to contraception. 

Even though the Right to Contraception Act is supported by 8 in 10 Americans, including Democrats (94% favor / 4% oppose), independents (76% favor / 17% oppose), and Republicans (68% favor / 20% oppose), anti-abortion extremists in the Senate continue to stand in the way of guaranteeing access to contraception across the country. 

Storytellers from across the country responded to today’s vote and shared how ongoing attacks on reproductive freedom are harming their communities. 

“Obtaining birth control can be challenging, and a lot of people face obstacles in accessing the contraceptives they need,” said DakotaRei Frausto, a college student and reproductive justice organizer from San Antonio Texas who struggled to access birth control as a teenager. “We should be making it easier – not harder – for people to access contraceptives, especially at a time when extremists are making it difficult to access reproductive health care.”

“I was denied birth control when I served in the Navy and when I became pregnant, my life was turned upside down,” said Jessica Motsinger, a Navy veteran who lives in St. Louis Metro East, Illinois. “Today, anti-abortion lawmakers let Americans like me down. Providing access to contraception is not controversial – it’s empowering.”

“Every single day, patients across the country turn to doctors for help accessing contraceptives for a variety of reasons,” said Emmy Lambert, a third-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee who plans to practice as an OB-GYN. “Lawmakers that target access to basic reproductive health care services are placing unjust harm onto patients.” 

“At a time where it is increasingly difficult to access reproductive health care, expanding access to contraception has the potential to be life-changing for people across the country,” said Veronica Ingrahm, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “Today, anti-abortion lawmakers confirmed that they will continue to attack our reproductive freedom, no matter how unpopular their efforts may be.”

If you are interested in speaking with any of the storytellers quoted above, 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.

New Ad Highlights What’s at Risk If SCOTUS Strikes Down Emergency Abortion Care Protections

Anti-abortion extremists are targeting protections that guarantee patients can access the lifesaving care, including abortion procedures, they need to survive a medical emergency 

Watch the ad here

Washington, D.C. — Today, Free & Just released a new ad calling attention to what is at stake should the conservative-led Supreme Court side with anti-abortion extremists who are challenging national protections that guarantee the right to receive life-saving care — including emergency abortion care — that could have dangerous outcomes for patients experiencing pregnancy complications. On Wednesday, Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments in a consolidated case to decide whether or not hospitals can provide abortion care when required during emergency medical situations.

“Everyone deserves access to lifesaving health care when they’re faced with life-or-death situations and this includes abortion care. We’re educating constituents in key congressional districts about what’s at stake should Trump-appointed justices strike down these abortion protections—a dangerous precedent that would lead to hospitals turning away more patients, frighteningly worse health outcomes, and extremist politicians emboldened to further restrict access to health care,” said Veronica Ingrahm, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. 

This ad is part of a six figure targeted digital and linear program across three Congressional districts: WI-03, TX-15, and NE-02 to raise awareness about this latest anti-abortion attack on reproductive freedom.

New polling shows a majority of voters support the law that protects a patient’s ability to access lifesaving care, and believe emergency abortion care should be protected if a woman’s health is at stake. 

Ad Script

Imagine you need emergency care.

Imagine someone you love does…

Only to be turned away.

That’s what’s at stake

As the Supreme Court decides whether hospitals are allowed

to provide emergency abortion care,

Including to help patients whose lives are at risk.

It could open the door to political interests restricting other emergency care

And interfering in doctors’ ability to do their jobs…

Or even throwing them in jail.

Don’t let politicians interfere in lifesaving health care.

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About Free & Just

Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.

Donald Trump and Conservatives Want to Ban Abortion – Whether State-by-State or in a Nationwide Push

Personal Stories Highlight the Destructive and Extreme Conservative Anti-abortion Agenda that is Banning Access to Care and Putting Lives at Risk

Washington, D.C — Today, Donald Trump announced that abortion laws should be “left up to the states,” teeing up the next step in his and extremist Republicans’ plan to ban abortion and restrict reproductive freedom at the state-level  after Supreme Court judges he selected helped overturn federal abortion protections. 

Since Supreme Court Justices appointed by Former President Trump repealed the abortion protections of Roe 22 states across the country have banned abortion.

Because of this extremist plan, Women, families, and pregnant people have been forced to live with a dangerous new health care reality created by Conservative-led attacks on abortion care, medication abortion, access to contraception, and in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

This is just another step in extremist Conservatives’  multi-pronged plan to ban abortion nationwide – whether in a single sweeping piece of legislation, or through a state-by-state assault on abortion rights. 

“Donald Trump just took the next step in his plan to make it harder for women to receive an abortion when they need one. With access to medication abortion, IVF, and access to abortion care in emergency settings all at risk, it’s clear that Conservatives, led by Donald Trump, will not stop until they’ve achieved their goal of a nationwide abortion ban,” said Free & Just Campaign Director Veronica Ingham.

In response to Donald Trump’s statement, Free & Just is sharing stories from advocates that highlight the health risks and impacts of the state laws that ban and restrict access to abortion.

“Working under Georgia’s extreme six-week abortion ban has been devastating,” said Suki O, an ultrasound tech in Georgia for over 20 years. “I have had to console crying women in my office, including those who have been sexually assaulted, who have received a fatal fetal diagnosis, or who aren’t ready to be parents, after telling them I cannot provide them with the care they desperately want and need. Abortion bans harm patients’ health and put providers in impossible positions – that’s why people across the country are rejecting attacks on our reproductive freedom.”

“The decision to have an abortion saved my life, and I know the consequences firsthand of removing access to abortion services,” said Emma Burns, a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University living in Flagstaff, Arizona, who received a medication abortion while she was a college student. “Attacks on abortion care, like what we’re facing in Arizona, strip people of the agency over their bodies and their futures. I want these candidates to understand that everyone should have the freedom to make the best decisions for their lives and their futures.”

In the Louisiana Illuminator, Kaitlyn Joshua describes how she feels being pregnant as a Black woman in Louisiana under the state’s abortion ban: “I no longer feel safe being pregnant in Louisiana. Not as a Black woman who received inadequate and delayed medical care while enduring a painful miscarriage because of  my home state’s abortion ban … The effects of overturning Roe v. Wade have made pregnancy an even more dangerous experience for women in Louisiana, and it’s terrifying to consider how much worse our reality can become if Republicans enact a national abortion ban.”

In the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Dr. Kristin Lyerly describes benign a physician in a state with an extreme abortion ban post-Dobbs: “Since Wisconsin’s near-total ban on abortion was reinstated after the fall of Roe, I have witnessed how dangerous and heartbreaking it is for my patients when politics interferes with my ability to do my job and prevents me from providing the full spectrum of abortion care that I once could. I have counseled patients on family planning throughout my career and understand abortion as both a deeply personal decision and medically necessary procedure that must be protected. People have abortions for various reasons, and all are choices they should have the freedom to make.”

If you would like to interview one of these storytellers for a story, please email maggie@freeandjust.us.

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About Free & Just

Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.