CHARLOTTE, NC –– Today, State Representative Diamond Staton-WIilliams joined local patient storytellers and abortion rights advocates at Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour event in Charlotte 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, State Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams, local patient storytellers, and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in North Carolina and across the country.

“My family and I made the decision to have an abortion because it was what we needed for our family and it was our decision – not anyone else’s,” said State Representative Diamond Staton-Williams, who shared her own experience accessing abortion care. “We need people to stand up and speak out in every way possible. We need to be screaming at the top of our lungs about this, because it’s not only my health or your health – it’s our children's health.” 

Janice Robinson, the North Carolina Program Director at Red Wine and Blue shared that she had a “back alley” abortion in 1975, when she was a teenager, an experience she hopes to protect others from. “I'm sure in my small town, my lower-middle class mother probably was never told the US Supreme Court had decided women would have access to safe, legal abortions.” Robinson also highlighted how her organization is working to educate North Carolinians about ongoing attacks on reproductive freedom. “We are talking to our friends, family members and acquaintances about efforts to take away our freedom hasn't stopped at ending Roe, they've only intensified. The extremists' anti-abortion playbook has expanded to include attacks on access to IVF treatment, restrictions on access to medication abortion, and more. And they will continue these attacks on our freedoms with their Project 2025 Plan!”

Kindl Detar, the Special Deputy Attorney General, and the Director of the Public Protection Section shared the story of a woman in the Charlotte area who experienced life-threatening pregnancy complications and struggled to access care in North Carolina. “Amy's story is one of many reasons why the Department of Justice continues to defend women's access to reproductive health care, including by fighting for continued access to safe, effective medication abortion and by refusing to defend the clearly unconstitutional provisions in the anti-abortion law our legislature passed in the wake of the Dobbs decision.” Detar also highlighted how Attorney General Josh Stein is ending the rape-kit backlog in North Carolina and strengthening protections for survivors of domestic violence, and pledged to continue fighting to protect women across the state. “Led by AG Stein, the DOJ will continue to advocate for women across our state, working to make sure that we all are safe in our homes, in our communities – and in our doctor's office. Because it's the right thing to do.”

“Abortion providers in North Carolina have already had to navigate so many obstacles in the past two years. Our clinics are inundated with patients seeking care, from as close as First Ward or as far away as Fort Lauderdale. While providers are struggling to weather the storm, our patients are being forced to navigate incredibly confusing and complex logistical nightmares to receive abortion care under the pressure of an ever-ticking clock,” said Calla Hales, the Executive Director of A Preferred Women’s Health Center. “I know it’s hard to feel excited or optimistic about anything right now. Even turning on the news can feel like the most overwhelming endeavor – the world is on fire, in more ways than one. But this is not the time to throw your hands up and walk away, or to be paralyzed by your pain and frustrations - however valid they may be. To do so would be a death sentence to the rights and personal freedoms of millions of Americans, including several of us standing right here.” 

“Women and men who struggle with infertility should not be denied access to fertility treatments that help assist in family planning efforts. The fact that Senate Republicans blocked both the right to contraception act, as well as the right to IVF this year tells me they are not serious about protecting these rights,” said Lori Downey, who shared her own experience with fertility treatments, and blasted anti-abortion extremists for voting against protections for IVF treatment this summer. “I say to legislators who refuse to pass laws to protect our reproductive freedoms, our right to contraception and to IVF, do not add insult to injury to those who are already in deep pain by denying them access to the medical procedures they have every right to.” 

“Being from Charlotte, and raised on the beliefs of respecting women, I've grown up around mostly women – my mom, sisters, cousins, aunts, grandmothers, and female friends. This upbringing has instilled in me a strong sense of duty to protect women's rights,” said Jayson Faulkner, a fellow with Men4Choice, an organization dedicated to engaging men in the fight for reproductive freedom. At the event, Faulkner shared that he accompanied a friend to an abortion in high school, an experience that continues to inform his activism. “There are many women like my friend who need and deserve the right to make decisions about their own bodies. I know nothing else but to stand up for their health, autonomy, and freedom.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Raleigh 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.