Patient Storytellers and Local Advocates Join Free & Just to Mark Third Anniversary of Deadly Dobbs Decision

Madison, WI  –– Today, Rev. Tim Schaefer, Dr. Nike Mourikes, Sydney Andreson, and Megan Kling joined Free & Just and A Better Wisconsin Together, Appleton Area NOW chapter, Committee to Protect Health Care, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, South Central Federation of Labor (SCFL), Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals for an event to mark the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s deadly Dobbs decision, which ripped away the right to safe and legal abortion. In the years since, attacks on reproductive freedom have continued to escalate, and women across the country have lost their lives as a result of abortion bans and restrictions.

Throughout June, Free & Just is partnering with storytellers, advocates, and local organizations to  amplify the human cost of attacks on access to reproductive health care, honor the lives of those lost to cruel abortion bans, and highlight what's at stake as Trump and Republicans in Congress work to roll back our rights even further.

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.

“U.S. House Republicans voted to cut Medicaid and ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood, putting nearly 200 health centers at risk of closing nationally, including numerous centers here in Wisconsin… I want to be clear: this is intentional and they won’t stop there. Republicans have said the Dobbs decision was not the end. And today, we’re seeing exactly what they meant. Anti-abortion lawmakers are willing to throw our most vulnerable members of the community to the wolves so they can eliminate access to safe abortions,” said Sydney Anderson, a Government Relations Specialist with Planned Parenthood Wisconsin. “We can't let a few politicians take away our freedoms because of their personal beliefs. Without all of us, we risk taking more and more steps backwards.”

“The moment Dobbs went into effect in June of 2022, an archaic 19th century law was resurrected by the legislature here in Wisconsin, resulting in an abrupt halt to abortion care in our state, creating chaos, chaos that lasted over a year,” said Dr. Nike Mourikes, an Internal Medicine Specialist practicing in the area. “Extremists have forced their ideology into our exam rooms and we have all paid the price. After three long years of politicians, judges, and the government interfering in health care, we need to bring these decisions back to where they belong: in the hands of patients and medical professionals back to the privacy and sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship.”

“In 2023, Sam and I became pregnant with our third child, but a more in-depth ultrasound reading confirmed our worst fears – our baby had Bilateral Renal Agenesis, and because I was 22 weeks pregnant by the time we received a confirmed diagnosis, it was illegal for my doctors to help me. I was forced to flee my home state of Wisconsin in order to access care,” said Megan Kling, a patient from rural Wisconsin. “The women of Wisconsin deserve better than this so get the hell out of our doctor's office because pregnancy is too complex to legislate. Exceptions do not work. Please allow women to seek care when they need it the most because abortion restrictions can impact anyone.”

“It has now been 3 years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Wisconsinites have made it clear time and time again that they support safe and legal abortion access and believe politicians have no business in decisions that ought to be made between a patient and their doctor. Yet, Republicans in our state Capitol all the way to Washington D.C. are still obstructing a path to protecting and expanding abortion access in Wisconsin and meddling in private health care decisions where they have no business. Wisconsinites deserve better, and it’s time that these Republicans start doing their job, listen to their constituents, and protect access to safe and legal abortion in Wisconsin.”  Lucy Ripp, communications director at A Better Wisconsin Together.

“As a Baptist, I must speak clearly: no government has the right to impose a narrow religious doctrine on an entire state or nation. The decision to seek an abortion is complex, moral, and personal. It is a decision made with great care and consideration. And yet, politicians around the country continue to override the wisdom and agency of individuals with one-size-fits-all legal bans rooted in a singular, rigid interpretation of Scripture,” said Rev. Tim Schaefer, Wisconsin Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. “Let’s be honest: these laws are not about protecting life. They are about controlling women’s bodies – they are about silencing their voices and shrinking their choices.”

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.