130+ Advocates from 35 States Urge Congress to Defend Reproductive Freedom
Free & Just leads letter marking Congress returning from August Recess.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, more than 130 storytellers from 35 states across the country signed a letter urging Congress to consider the lived experiences of women, patients, and physicians as lawmakers return from August recess. The letter, organized by Free & Just, features notable signees including Amanda Zurawski, Shanette Williams, Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, and advocates such as 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.
Free & Just sent the letter after a month of local organizing and storytelling while elected officials returned to their home districts and their constituents during the month of August. The letter builds on Free & Just’s “Summer Storytelling Series” in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin — where patients and partners engaged lawmakers directly about the real impacts of abortion bans.
The letter spotlights the consequences of the deadly Dobbs decision and details how abortion bans are killing women and patients nationwide. In the letter, storytellers write:
“The impacts of abortion bans can 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.”
Read the full letter here.
“In this letter, storytellers demonstrate tremendous courage by sharing their experiences of needing or providing abortion care, despite the many obstacles they have faced when trying to make the best medical decisions for themselves and their families. And yet, extremist Republican officials continue to weaponize the power of the federal government to strip reproductive freedom at the expense of lives,”said Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “Abortion bans are already killing women across the country. Republican lawmakers — at the Trump administration’s direction — are pushing an extremist agenda that leaves patients in crisis without access to care to score political points.”
If you are interested in connecting with patients, providers, or advocates who signed on to the letter, please contact Malachi White (malachi@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.