News & Updates
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WGGB | Getting Answers: reproductive rights in Massachusetts
“We are concerned about what Donald Trump is going to do in a new administration. He does pose an existential threat to abortion care in every single state, including in Massachusetts,” added Rebecca Hart Holder, CEO of Reproductive Equity Now.
Jezebel | Dr. Oz, Who Thinks All Abortion Is ‘Murder,’ Could Now Have Power Over Abortion Access
Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, told Jezebel the risks Oz poses at CMS expand beyond abortion to the full range of reproductive care. “By putting an anti-abortion, anti-woman TV doctor in charge of [CMS], Trump is directly threatening access to contraceptive care guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act,” she said. Holder warned that Oz’s nomination jeopardizes “our nation’s worsening maternal health crisis, and he is threatening reproductive health care services for low-income people across our country.”
CT Insider | Connecticut launches free abortion legal hotline in response to Trump election
"This hotline will be a lifeline in a second hostile Trump administration…the fight to defend abortion access is local. It is based here in our states and our communities, and information is power," Hart Holder said. "To put information in the hands of patients and providers is to fight back. People will always need abortions, and it is up to all of us to ensure that they can continue to get the care that they deserve. Connecticut has time and again stepped up and proven itself to be a place that will meet the moment and now is no different."
State house News Service | Top officials worried about health care access, funding
The advocacy organization Reproductive Equity Now warned Wednesday that anti-abortion politicians and activists have a "close and personal ally" in Gaetz. The group pointed to Gaetz's record of voting against legislation to protect abortion care, voting in favor of restrictions on abortion care, and calling abortion activists "fat and ugly."
WSHU | On heels of Trump reelection, CT launches 24/7 abortion care hotline
“Right now, patients need our support. Providers need our guidance,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, one of the groups that has partnered with Connecticut on the hotline.
WFSB | CT’s attorney general, pro-choice group launch abortion access hotline
“After Tuesday’s presidential election, we know there is a lot of confusion, fear, terror, and grief,” said Becca Hart Holder, Reproductive Equity Now.
When Roe versus Wade was overturned, women from states with restrictions and bans started coming to Connecticut.
This year, Connecticut saw a 150 percent increase in out-of-state patients. These laws protect abortion care and protect records of patients seeking an abortion.
WTNH | Attorney General Tong announces launch of abortion hotline
“This free and confidential resource will be able to help connect providers and patients seeking and offering care,” Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, said.
Law360 | Conn. AG Building Abortion Rights 'Firewall' With Firms' Help
Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, said Friday that more attorneys are needed from all practice areas.
"We have needed help on healthcare law, on tax law, on real estate and asset protection. People who specialize in telehealth have been incredibly important," Hart Holder said. "Employment law is another one. The range of questions that we get is huge."
Hartford Courant | CT debuting 24-hour abortion legal hotline; Tong: ‘What’s happening there … may very well happen here’
“Right now, patients need our support, providers need our guidance,” Hart Holder said. “This movement demands bold, innovative, tenacious, state-based leadership, and that’s why we are so proud to be fighting back against the chaos and confusion that anti-abortion politicians have sowed with a new resource to support patients, providers, and helpers here.”
The Brazilian Times | Connecticut lança linha direta para apoiar mulheres em busca de aborto
Rebecca Hart Holder, presidente da REN, sublinhou a importância do serviço neste momento, afirmando que “após a eleição presidencial de terça-feira, há muita confusão, medo e até luto. Os pacientes precisam de nosso apoio, e os provedores necessitam de orientação.” Ela também destacou que a situação atual exige liderança estadual forte e inovadora para proteger os direitos reprodutivos.
Law.Com | Law Firms Join Abortion Legal Hotline
Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, said the Connecticut abortion legal hotline is free and confidential, and is an expansion of the Massachusetts hotline.
Holder said that they have heard questions such as: "'I'm an abortion provider helping a patient traveling from out of state. How do I protect the patient? And how do I protect myself?' 'I'm a patient traveling for care? How do I know I'm safe? Where can I go to make sure I can access legitimate care?' 'I'm the parent of a young person in a banned state, and I need to get them abortion care. How do I do it?'"
CT Public Radio | On heels of Trump reelection, CT reproductive rights advocates announce new abortion care hotline
“This hotline will be a lifeline in a second hostile Trump administration,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of REN. “Attorney General [Ken] Paxton in Texas has made clear that he will go after the private health care records of patients. There is a law on the books in Texas that allows you, as any person, to file a lawsuit against a provider for offering abortion care. So we should very much anticipate that that is coming to all states.”
Fox 61 | Connecticut launches free abortion legal support hotline
“After Tuesday's presidential election, we know that there is a lot of confusion, fear, terror and grief,” said President of the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation Rebecca Hart Holder. “Right now, patients need our support providers need our guidance. This movement demands bold innovative tenacious state based leadership.
NBC Connecticut | Connecticut launches hotline for legal advice about abortions
"Questions like, 'I’m an abortion provider helping a patient traveling from out-of-state. How do I protect the patient?' And 'how do I protect myself? I'm a patient traveling for care. How do I know I’m safe?'” Rebecca Hart Holder of Reproductive Equity Now said.
Fox61 | AG Tong, abortion rights groups announce abortion hotline
Attorney General William Tong and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation announced the creation of a new abortion legal hotline for providers and patients in CT.
News 12 Connecticut | ‘I’m scared.’ New hotline offers free legal advice to Connecticut reproductive clinics
"This free and confidential legal resource will be able to help connect providers and patients seeking or offering care with attorneys in Connecticut for pro bono legal assistance," said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now. "Patients and providers can call our hotline at 833 309- 6301, or they can fill out a secure form at our website, which is reproequitynow.org/hotline."
Boston Globe | Why Harris’s loss is mainly on Biden and other election takeaways from Globe Opinion
Abortion rights “won the popular vote in ballot initiatives across the country,” Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of Reproductive Equity Now, said via text when I asked for her reaction to the election results. “It’s clear,” she said, “that women are angry and are demanding bodily autonomy to make the decisions that are right for their families.” The path forward, she said, is “to invest in state governments and state-based solutions … to pass bold policies that ensure people from near and far can access the care they want and need.”
New Bedford Light | Women’s advocates worry Trump could limit abortion rights here
“Donald Trump’s Supreme Court ushered in abortion bans in 22 states across our country, leaving millions of people without access to basic health care … Donald Trump’s abortion bans have killed pregnant people,” said Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder in a statement.
Bay State Banner | Ahead of election, racial equity, Supreme Court, abortion access are priorities for Banner readers
“This November’s election is going to determine the future of reproductive freedom and abortion access in our country,” said Rebecca Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, an organization working to increase equitable access to reproductive health care.
A Trump presidency, Holder worries, could mean a nationwide abortion ban. Though Trump has been less vocal about federal-level regulations on the topic in this campaign compared to his previous bids for the White House, in his last presidency he took steps to limit abortion access.
New Bedford Light | Reproductive rights experts wary of more restrictions
“We spend a lot of time doing scenario planning for a Harris administration and a Trump administration, but I don’t want to tip my hand too much,” Holder, of Reproductive Equity Now, said. “We are making sure we are prepared no matter who becomes president … We are thinking creatively about how to continue to ensure there is access.”