News & Updates
Media Inquiries
If you’re a member of the media and looking to speak with an expert at Reproductive Equity Now, contact our press team at press@reproequitynow.org!
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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.
Reproductive Equity Now Statement on Results of 2024 Presidential Election
Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement in response to the results of the 2024 presidential election.
“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. He has said that women should be punished for obtaining an abortion, and he and his cronies have threatened to put doctors in jail for offering life-saving, life-affirming health care. Donald Trump’s abortion bans have killed pregnant people. And today, Donald Trump has been emboldened once again to wreak havoc on abortion rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and human rights with a second term in the Oval Office….
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.
Reproductive Equity Now Foundation Statement on Lawsuit Filed By Anti-Abortion Center, Your Options Medical
Reproductive Equity Now Foundation (RENF) President Rebecca Hart Holder today released the following statement in response to the lawsuit filed in August against the organization by anti-abortion center, Your Options Medical. The Reproductive Equity Now Foundation yesterday filed a Motion to Dismiss the case.
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.”
NBC Boston | Federal abortion pill lawsuit targets states like Massachusetts
"The goal — the end game for anti-abortion activists — is to ban abortion in all 50 states," Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart-Holder said. "So one of the ways that you do that is to ban a type of abortion.”
Reproductive Equity Now Sets the Record Straight on Candidates’ Repro Leadership in Plymouth & Barnstable Senate Race
Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement today after the Muratore for State Senate campaign released an email that incorrectly states that State Representative Mathew Muratore voted to codify the right to abortion in Massachusetts state law. Murratore voted against the ROE Act in 2020, which codified abortion rights in the Commonwealth.
Reproductive Equity Now Announces Next Slate of Endorsed Candidates for State Legislature in Massachusetts
Two years since the Dobbs decision decimated the national right to abortion access, one month after the Massachusetts Legislature advanced groundbreaking legislation to address the state’s worsening maternal health crisis, and on the precipice of one of the most important election cycles in history, Reproductive Equity Now has announced its second slate of endorsed candidates for the Massachusetts legislature. These candidates will continue the groundbreaking progress that the Massachusetts legislature has made to meet the post-Dobbs crisis and work to advance a reproductive equity agenda for all Bay Staters.
Boston Globe | He ‘hasn’t thought about this at all’: Experts react to Donald Trump’s pledge to make IVF free for everyone
“Donald Trump is full of bologna,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now. “The only thing we should be trusting is Trump’s record of overturning Roe v. Wade, wanting to punish patients who seek abortion, and criminalizing doctors who offer life-saving and life-affirming care. Trump is running from his cruel anti-reproductive record because he knows that American voters will overwhelmingly demand the ability to decide if, when, and how to start or grow their families this Election Day.”
Governor Healey Signs Maternal Health Bill, Expanding Access to Midwifery, Birth Centers and Doulas in Massachusetts
Rebecca Hart Holder, President, Reproductive Equity Now:
“We are so proud that the commonwealth is taking decisive and bold action to address the maternal health crisis, eliminate racial inequities in birthing outcomes, and integrate midwives into our maternal health care infrastructure. With Governor Healey’s signature today, Massachusetts is making its values clear: we will continue to stand up for reproductive equity, center birthing people, and ensure that every person has the ability to start or grow their family with autonomy and dignity. We’re grateful to Governor Healey for signing this critical bill into law, and we look forward to turning the corner in the fight for maternal health equity in Massachusetts.”
Daily Hampshire Gazette | Columnist Carrie N. Baker: De-medicalizing childbirth, expanding community birthing options
Why has it taken so long for Massachusetts to catch up to the rest of the country? “The institutional health care system in Massachusetts thinks that birth should be taking place in hospitals,” said Taylor St. Germain of Reproductive Equity Now. “We have had to do a lot of education to prove that there are huge, huge health benefits to having out-of-hospital birth options and to making sure that people have autonomy and dignity in their birthing experiences.”
Repro Equity Now Celebrates Major Repro Wins of the 2023-24 MA Legislative Session
With the 2023-24 Massachusetts legislative session now closed, Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder today celebrated the legislature’s major progress to advance reproductive equity in the Bay State. The legislature passed several bills this session that take steps to improve maternal health outcomes, expand access to reproductive health care, and invest in the state’s child care infrastructure, all pieces of Reproductive Equity Now’s 2023-24 legislative priorities.
Bay State Birth Coalition Statements After MA Legislature Passes Comprehensive Maternal Health Care Package
Members of the Bay State Birth Coalition released the following statements after a comprehensive legislative package to address the worsening maternal health crisis passed out of the Massachusetts legislature in an informal session. The bill now heads to Governor Maura Healey’s desk.
Reproductive Equity Now Applauds Passage of Comprehensive Maternal Health Care Package
Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now, released the following statement after a comprehensive legislative package to address the worsening maternal health crisis passed out of the Massachusetts legislature in an informal session. The bill now heads to Governor Maura Healey’s desk.
Reproductive Equity Now Statement After Conference Committee Reaches Agreement on Maternal Health Package
Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement today after Massachusetts House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement on An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options. The omnibus bill, which was passed unanimously by the House and Senate this year, includes several of Reproductive Equity Now’s legislative priorities, including provisions to create a pathway to licensure for Certified Professional Midwives and to instruct the Department of Public Health (DPH) to update and revise the regulations that govern freestanding birth centers in the state.
State House News Service: Negotiators Agree On Maternal Health Bill
"The Massachusetts Legislature clearly understands that the right to reproductive health care, including care for pregnancy, delivery, miscarriage care, and abortion care, is not a realized right unless every person is able to safely access that care with dignity," Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, said in a statement Wednesday. "By empowering midwives and removing burdensome barriers to the opening of freestanding birth centers, this legislation can deliver real advancements in birthing justice and work to address a worsening maternal health crisis in the Bay State. An agreement on this legislation signifies that our legislature is ready to turn a corner in the fight for maternal health equity in Massachusetts, and we look forward to getting it across the finish line together."
MassLive | With Gov. Healey’s signature, Mass.’ definition of parenthood gets a historic update
The bill also will “protect family formation in a post-Dobbs world, ensure that LGBTQ+ parents have the protections they need to start or build their families and support children’s development and well-being over a lifetime,” Rebecca Hart Holder, the president of Reproductive Equity Now, said.
Governor Healey Signs Parentage Act, Ensuring Equality for All Families in Massachusetts
“We are thrilled that Governor Maura Healey is today signing the Massachusetts Parentage Act into law to ensure all children across our state have equal access to the security of a legal parent-child relationship. Reproductive equity is not a reality in Massachusetts until every individual — and every LGBTQ+ family — is able to make decisions about whether and when to parent, and to parent with dignity. This law will protect family formation in a post-Dobbs world, ensure that LGBTQ+ parents have the protections they need to start or build their families, and support children’s development and well-being over a lifetime.”
Bay State Birth Coalition Celebrates Senate Passage of Comprehensive Maternal Health Bill
Members of the Bay State Birth Coalition, a coalition of more than 20 partner organizations, released the following joint statement today after the Massachusetts Senate passed a comprehensive maternal health package to address the worsening maternal health crisis in the state. The legislation includes provisions to create a pathway to licensure for Certified Professional Midwives, reimburse Certified Nurse Midwives equitably, and to instruct the Department of Public Health to update and revise the regulations that govern freestanding birth centers in the state.