Free & Just Letter to Congress

Dear Representative/Senator, 

As storytellers and advocates with Free & Just, a network of abortion storytellers across the country who advocate for reproductive freedom and abortion access, we are working to amplify the lived experiences of everyday people and spotlight the devastating consequences of ongoing attacks on our reproductive freedom at the local and federal level. We write on behalf of all the women who have suffered in the wake of abortion bans nationwide to underscore the devastating impact that these bans and restrictions have had on Americans in the three years since the deadly Dobbs decision. The damage has only deepened with the latest wave of dangerous anti-abortion attacks embedded in President Trump’s and massive spending bill. As Members of Congress prepare for their return to Washington, D.C. from August Recess, we call on you and every elected official to listen to the stories of everyday people, patients, and physicians like us and to ensure that all Americans have the right to make their own personal and family medical decisions without government interference. 

In June, Free & Just brought more than 100 storytellers from 32 states to the nation’s capital for the Our Voices, Our Stories, Our Future: Free & Just Storyteller Summit, where many of us had the chance to tell our stories and work to amplify the cost of abortion bans. We were honored to stand with brave storytellers like Amanda Zurawski, the lead plaintiff in the landmark Zurawski v. State of Texas, who was denied abortion care after she experienced preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes (PPROM) at 18 weeks of pregnancy; and women like Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, the young woman who lost her life after waiting 19 hours for care due to Georgia’s cruel abortion ban; and Patricia McFarland, who had an abortion in 1970, before Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, and has watched the rights of women and patients nationwide erode due to anti-abortion extremism. A key takeaway from the summit was just how much abortion bans and restrictions harm all of us, no matter who we are or where we live. 

The impacts of abortion bans can also be felt throughout our communities by friends, loved ones, and providers who navigate the challenging landscape left in the wake of the Dobbs decision and the impacts of the spending package recently signed into law. Providers in states that ban or restrict abortion are forced to constantly weigh the risks of providing essential care to a patient or being fined or imprisoned for administering that care. Husbands watch their wives’ and kids watch their mothers’ health decline to the brink of death before they can receive necessary and often lifesaving healthcare. Friends and families are forced to witness their loved ones suffer through impossible circumstances because laws in their state deprive them of the right to make decisions about what happens to their own bodies and lives. These abortion bans are being pushed by extreme politicians who have worked diligently to implement elements of their anti-abortion playbook and played the long game toward chipping away at our rights and freedoms.

Since the Dobbs decision, women in states with abortion bans are now twice as likely to die during pregnancy, with Black women facing 3 times greater risk than White women. The state of abortion care has grown increasingly bleak and dangerous for women across the country as anti-abortion extremists have doubled down on their efforts to dismantle reproductive freedom across the country, working diligently to control how Americans make their own decisions – from whether and how we get pregnant, to whether or not we can keep ourselves safe and healthy. The continued assault on reproductive freedom and our ability to make personal and private decisions has expanded to include attacks on contraception, restricting access to abortion pills like mifepristone which has been proven to be safe and effective for over 20 years, and the criminalization of women who experience miscarriages or other pregnancy complications.

From recent attacks on access to IVF treatment to a potential ban on life-saving care for women in crisis, the repercussions of attacks on reproductive freedom have become clear since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Health care providers like Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, a rural family medicine obstetrician from Idaho whose practice often includes supporting mothers through pregnancy, labor, and delivery care, depend on the protections provided by EMTALA and advocate for the importance of defending reproductive freedom. We have seen in real time that when abortion is not protected on the federal level, women die, and it’s important that we are clear about what this post-Roe reality is like for women and families across the country. At least six women have died as a result of abortion bans in their state – and those are just the deaths that we know about. And just last month, in an effort to double down efforts to ban abortion nationally, President Trump signed into law a tax bill designed to “defund” Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, and slash Medicaid, threatening access to care for millions. The fallout will be devastating as the bill will further restrict access to abortion across the country and cause widespread disruption in access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other essential, preventive sexual, and reproductive health services. 

In the three years since Roe was overturned, we have seen, lived, and experienced the horrific impacts of bans and restrictions. As the fight for reproductive freedom continues, we urge you to consider our voices, our stories, and our lived experiences as you work to craft policies that impact our lives and our futures. 

Ashley Ammerman

Bree Anderson

Anne Angus

Melissa Miotke Appleton

Andrea Austin

Melissa Bailey 

Laurel Barr

Hannah Bayles

Anitra Beasley

Latorya Beasley

Avery Davis Bell

Caitlin Bernard

Alenna Beroza

Julie Bindeman

Megan Bond

Kevin Bond

Ashley Brandt

Karen  Brown

Mark Brown

Emma Burns

Julia Callahan

Amber Calvin 

David Caras

Genie Caras 

Samantha Casiano

Ryan Cherecwich

Jessica Cox

Emily Cuarenta

Hollie Cunningham

Cody Cunningham

Amanda D’Angelo

Dr. Austin Dennard

Kat Duesterhaus

Taylor Edwards

Dawn A. Ericksen, Esq.

Alliyson Feldmann

Margot Finn

Mary Kate Finnigan

Carrie Frail

DakotaRei Frausto

Kristyn Fruit

September 2, 2025

Kayleigh Garcia Roffino

Meta Getman

Alison Goulding

Miraya Gran 

Matthew Grocholske 

Dr. Caitlin Gustafson

Calla Hales

Shelley Hall

Samantha Hansen

Sarah Hansen

Taryn Hansen

Callie Harper

Lara Hart

Dr. Kathy Hartke

Jamie Heard

Morgan Homme

Sarah Horvath

Davan'te Jennings

Stephanie Jones

Jeremy Jones 

Star Jowers

Kaitlyn Kash

Tori Katherman

Paige Kimble

Nicole King

Abby Klausner Blum

Cassandra Klewicki

Megan Kling

Maria Koegl

Randi Kathryn Lamoureux

Lacey Layne

Josh Layne

Leah Ledford

Theresa Lee

Kelsey Leigh

Tyler Lewis

Caiyun Liao

Ali Marciano

Laurel Marcinkus

Heather Martell 

Nicole Martin

Patricia McFarland 

Mylissa McNeill

Sherrie Michels

Charlotte Miller

Lauren Miller

Samantha Montgomery

Michelle Morrison

Caroline Motley

Jessica Motsinger 

Heather Mullin

Holly Natale

Anna Nusslock

Kaelah Oberdorf

Ariel Okhah

Sukari Olawumi

Ashley Ortiz

Brittney Ortiz

Dana Pellebon

Jennifer Philips

Allie Phillips

Rebecca Pierce-Williams

Autumn Raborn

Uma Reddy

Lis Regula

Sunni Rudd

Lelani Russell

Nikki Sapiro Vinckier

Tim Schaefer

Sophie Schott

Kelly Shannon

Kristen Sharp

Melanie Shipley

Jean St. John

Erin Stadler

Lindsay Staggs

Kimberly Stathas

Jojo Sweatt

Danielle Tallafuss

DeShawn Taylor

Turiya Tomlin-Randall

Jessica Torres Macias

Jessica Van Wyen

Jenn Vollstedt 

Riata Walker

Nicole Walker

Elise Warren

Chelsea Wedemeyer

M. Theresa Welch

Bayli White 

Shanette Williams

Caroline Williams

Leilah Zahedi-Spung

Bronwynn Ziemann

Amanda Zurawski