News & Updates
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New Hampshire Lawmakers Introduce Momnibus 2.0; Senate Committee Unanimously Recommends Passage
At today’s Senate Health and Human Services Committee public hearing for Momnibus 2.0 (SB 246), legislation that supports the health and well-being of pregnant and postpartum women, families, and maternal health providers, committee members unanimously voted in executive session to advance the legislation with an “Ought to Pass” recommendation. This major win comes directly after a group of bipartisan lawmakers, with support from a broad coalition of maternal health advocates, introduced the legislation at a press conference this morning.
Reproductive Equity Now Statement Ahead of Public Hearing on New Hampshire Resolution Affirming Right to Abortion
Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement today as the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee prepares to hold a hearing on HCR 7, a resolution that would affirm abortion as health care protected under state law.
Reproductive Equity Now Statement on Confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Lead Dept. of Health and Human Services
Today, the Senate voted (52-48) to confirm Donald Trump’s nominee, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Today’s confirmation comes after the Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as U.S. Attorney General and Russell Vought as Director of the Office of Management and Budget last week. These confirmations will severely threaten abortion access and all reproductive health care nationwide, reinforcing the importance of state governments in standing up against federal encroachment.
News 12 Connecticut | ‘I worry for myself.’ Hundreds debate adding abortion and LGBTQ rights to CT constitution
“The overturning of Roe has incited a public health, economic, social and racial justice crisis across the country,” said Liz Gustafson, the state director of Reproductive Equity Now.
New Hampshire House Votes to Withdraw 15-Week Abortion Ban
This morning, the New Hampshire House voted in favor of a motion to withdraw HB 476, a bill that would have banned abortion care in New Hampshire after 15 weeks. The motion to withdraw passed the House with an overwhelming majority of bipartisan support. This vote comes just one week after more than 12,000 Granite Staters registered their opposition to this bill in advance of its public hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.
GBH | Mass. lawmakers push for abortion without trimester limits
Claire Teylouni, Reproductive Equity Now’s senior director of policy and programs, estimates the change would impact “dozens” of Massachusetts residents each year — an infinitesimally small number compared to the roughly 18,000 abortions Massachusetts residents received here in 2023.
Hartford Courant | CT pharmacists can now prescribe birth control; Plan B in vending machine at UConn
“Access to contraceptives gives people the ability to control their own reproductive destinies and make personal decisions regarding if, when, or how to start their families,” Liz Gustafson, Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now, said. “By eliminating the need for a visit to a healthcare provider to obtain a prescription for birth control and allowing people to receive the prescription directly from their local pharmacy, pharmacist prescribing will help increase access to contraception for those who face the greatest barriers to care.
Reproductive Equity Now Launches 2025 Connecticut Legislative Agenda
Reproductive Equity Now is today announcing its agenda for the 2025 Connecticut legislative session. The organization’s priorities are aimed at standing up to federal attacks on reproductive health care, expanding access to care for patients, and further protecting abortion and gender-affirming care providers.
Prism | Massachusetts sees sharp rise in out-of-state abortion patients as state bolsters provider protections
Taylor St. Germain, deputy director of Reproductive Equity Now, highlighted the state’s preparedness in an interview with Prism. “When the first Trump administration rolled around, we took proactive action to really make sure that we were codifying abortion in our state law to ensure that no matter what happens, with the fall of Roe, abortion remains legal here in our state,” St. Germain said. “So we passed the ROE Act in 2020, and this law codified the right to abortion care in Massachusetts.”
Governor Lamont Announces New Programs That Are Expanding Access to Contraception in Connecticut
“Access to contraceptives gives people the ability to control their own reproductive destinies and make personal decisions regarding if, when, or how to start their families,” Liz Gustafson, Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now, said.
Reproductive Equity Now Slams Trump's Executive Order Attacking Access to Health Care for Transgender Youth
Last night, President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to end gender-affirming medical treatments for people under the age of 19. In response, Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement condemning the President’s actions, and reminding the public that the fights for transgender health care and abortion access require a coordinated and integrated response.
As Trump Admin Prepares to Bolster Religious Refusal Laws, Reproductive Equity Now Urges CT to Protect Providers Offering Health Care Information, Emergency Abortion
On Monday, the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Dr. Dorothy Fink released a statement announcing that the Department will be reevaluating its regulations and guidance pertaining to federal laws on conscience and religious exercise. These laws, which advocates expect the Trump administration to prioritize and bolster, have been used to deny patients basic reproductive health care services, including abortion. In response, Reproductive Equity Now Connecticut State Director Liz Gustafson released the following statement.
Trump signs order to reinstate ‘global gag rule’ on abortion aid
“Reinstating the Mexico City policy will have deadly consequences for people across the globe,” Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, said in a statement. “The United States is a vital partner to healthcare providers and organizations around the world, and robbing those frontline providers of their ability to provide the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, and even information about people’s options, will result in people losing their lives to pregnancy complications.”
Reproductive Equity Now Launches 2025 New Hampshire Legislative Agenda
Reproductive Equity Now is today announcing its agenda for the 2025 New Hampshire legislative session. The organization’s priorities are aimed at improving maternal health outcomes in the state, affirming the right to abortion care, and defending against continued anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ attacks.
Reproductive Equity Now Launches 2025-26 Massachusetts Legislative Agenda
Reproductive Equity Now is today announcing its agenda for the 2025-26 Massachusetts legislative session. The organization’s priorities are aimed at standing up to federal attacks on reproductive health care, expanding access to care for patients, and further protecting abortion and gender-affirming care providers.
Reproductive Equity Now Statement in Advance of Public Hearing on Proposed New Hampshire Abortion Ban
Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement today as the House Judiciary Committee prepares to hold a hearing on HB 476, a bill banning abortion care in New Hampshire after 15 weeks.
Reproductive Equity Now Statement on Trump's Reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule on Abortion Care
“Trump is not satisfied with the United States’ appalling maternal mortality statistics; he is intent on worsening maternal health care on an international scale. The decision to reinstate this policy is appalling and morally depraved.”
Bay State Banner | Ahead of the Trump administration, state pursues action to protect reproductive health care
Rebecca Hart Holder, president of the Boston-based nonprofit Reproductive Equity Now, called the grants a reflection of the values state leadership holds.
“These organizations are doing essential work to care for Massachusetts patients, and those traveling to our state for care,” she said in a statement. “These investments underscore the Commonwealth’s commitment to reproductive freedom in a post-Roe world.”
Seacoast Online | Is new NH bill a travel ban on abortions or sex trafficking prevention? What politicians are saying
Rebecca Hart Holder, the president of Reproductive Equity Now, called it a “travel ban” in a press release.
“Despite their false claims, 'abortion trafficking' simply does not exist,” Holder said. “Travel bans are about one thing: control. Controlling our bodies, movements, and freedoms. Travel bans are the next step in anti-abortion extremists’ playbook to make essential reproductive health care unattainable, especially for young people.”
NBC Boston | With Trump back in office, where do women's reproductive rights stand?
"The goal here is to control the flow of information," Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder said. "We know that the Trump administration does not want women to know how to access comprehensive reproductive health care, so I'm disappointed. I'm not surprised."