State Senator Kelda Roys & Abortion Storytellers Spotlight Attacks on Reproductive Freedom in Wisconsin and Nationwide

MADISON, WI –– Today, Senator Kelda Roys joined Free & Just for a roundtable to discuss how abortion bans across the country are harming families and highlight new attacks on reproductive freedom. The roundtable was moderated by Dana Pellebon, A Public Affair: WORT Radio Host, and the Executive Director of RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center, who facilitated the conversation around the power of storytelling in today’s political landscape.  

The roundtable kicked off a day of programming for storytellers from across Wisconsin. Hosted by Free & Just, the gathering in Madison was an opportunity for advocates to build community with others impacted by abortion bans. Storytellers strengthened their advocacy skills and heard from local experts and partners about the work they are doing to fight for abortion access in Wisconsin and nationwide.

“We have so many politicians and judges that are hellbent on keeping us from accessing the care we need. We know that opponents of abortion are absolutely relentless with their attacks, and we can see it in the court decision that came back yesterday where a federal appeals court has now suspended access to medication abortion by mail,” said Wisconsin State Senator Kelda Roys. “Medication abortion has been a critical lifeline especially for women that are in low access states or states with bans on care. This is a critically important issue for women’s lives and it touches on all the other things that are top tier issues: whether it’s healthcare, affordability in the economy, and certainly our fundamental rights and freedoms in a time of authoritarianism and fascism.” 

“We need to keep talking and telling our stories so that people in our communities realize that everyone who needs it should have access to abortion care,” said Heather Martell, a patient storyteller who was forced to travel to receive abortion care. “The way the administration — not just Trump, but Ron Johnson and Tom Tiffany — phrase bans as protecting women is absolute garbage. They use ‘protecting women’ as a way to rally their base and gaslight their opponents. If they wanted to protect women they would have prioritized passing legislation that ensured women would have equal rights. If you want to protect women you start with actual tangible changes to sexual abuse and dometic violence laws, and support women in Wisconsin in the courts and family law. But they don’t care about protecting women.” 

“When you’re talking about reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy, you’re also talking about socioeconomic realities because this is an intersectional conversation for so many people. We live in one of the most restrictive states in the country which means that we make abortion more time-consuming, more painful, and often resort to things that are medically unnecessary just to receive care,” said Ali Muldrow, Executive Director of the Women's Medical Fund Wisconsin. “The average American can’t afford a $400 car payment, so the idea that you can afford a medical emergency is out of reach for most women and patients. Healthcare is a human right and making sure that no one is denied access to an abortion because they can’t afford it is something we need to be talking about on a regular basis.” 

“I want lawmakers to know that the effects of these abortion bans extend even wider and farther than they realize. I’m a disabled woman and I have pre-existing health conditions that impacted my pregnancy. The effects of the amount of blood I lost during my pregnancy and lost my daughter I’m still dealing with today,” said Laurel Marcinkus, patient storyteller who required abortion care to save her life. “After my daughter died, I was mentally in the darkest place that I had ever been in. These anti-abortion lawmakers need to understand that the effects of these abortion bans not only threaten our lives at the moment, but cause lasting effects on the rest of our lives.”  

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact Malachi White (malachi@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.