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!

If you have a general question or comment, please email info@reproequitynow.org.

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Fox 61 | Senate Democrats gear up for another vote on the Right to IVF Act

“The right to the IVF Act really comes out of the Alabama Supreme Court's really shocking decision earlier this year to call embryos extra uterine Children, essentially banning IVF in Alabama and then creating fetal personhood and then throwing the provision of IVF and all assisted reproductive health services into disarray,” Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, explained.

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Boston Globe | He ‘hasn’t thought about this at all’: Experts react to Donald Trump’s pledge to make IVF free for everyone
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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.”

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Daily Hampshire Gazette | Columnist Carrie N. Baker: De-medicalizing childbirth, expanding community birthing options
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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.”

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State House News Service: Negotiators Agree On Maternal Health Bill
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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."

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NBC 10 | Bill protecting location data related to reproductive and gender-affirming care clears Mass. House 159-0
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NBC 10 | Bill protecting location data related to reproductive and gender-affirming care clears Mass. House 159-0

"In the two years post-Dobbs, hostile actors have targeted the location data of patients and providers in all 50 states, and now, we are increasingly concerned that this data will be weaponized against those seeking and providing care in Massachusetts," Rebecca Hart Holder, president of the Reproductive Equity Now group, said Tuesday. "Today the House is making an important statement that we will not let that stand in our Commonwealth. We are proud that the House understands that abortion patients are not fully protected until their digital footprint is protected, too."

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MassLive.Com | Mass. House Dems propose data ‘shield’ around reproductive care
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MassLive.Com | Mass. House Dems propose data ‘shield’ around reproductive care

Rebecca Hart Holder, president of the advocacy group Reproductive Equity Now, credited the Legislature for “continually recogniz[ing] the evolving threat to abortion patients and providers and has aggressively expanded access and protected care since the fall of [Roe v. Wade].

Since the high court’s ruling toppling Roe, “hostile actors have targeted the location data of patients and providers in all 50 states, and now, we are increasingly concerned that this data will be weaponized against those seeking and providing care in Massachusetts,” Hart Holder continued.

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Hartford Courant | As abortion access wanes nationwide, so does sense of urgency, outrage in CT, advocates say
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Hartford Courant | As abortion access wanes nationwide, so does sense of urgency, outrage in CT, advocates say

“Reproductive equity is on the ballot this election day and we are going to see people turn out in big numbers for candidates who run on abortion access,” Gustafson said.

Gustafson said abortion-rights advocates are emphasizing that even though Connecticut may be protected in state law, “there is more to do to ensure equitable access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care.”

“The battle for reproductive freedom and equity has not slowed down,” Gustafson said, adding that residents in the state feel and recognize the urgency of the moment.

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CT Insider | CT sees 150% increase in people coming from out of state for abortion care, officials say
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CT Insider | CT sees 150% increase in people coming from out of state for abortion care, officials say

On an interpersonal level, the abortion ban works to criminalize and further stigmatize the procedure and abortion medication more than it already is, said Liz Gustafson, the Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now.  

When she had her abortion, her friend was concerned about her well-being when she couldn't reach Gustafson the following day and the police showed up for a wellness check, she said. Even now, Gustafson said she still feels the internalized shame and stigma of having an abortion.

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State House News Service | Healey: SCOTUS Ruling Leaves Pregnant Women In "Limbo"
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State House News Service | Healey: SCOTUS Ruling Leaves Pregnant Women In "Limbo"

Rebecca Hart Holder, president of advocacy organization Reproductive Equity Now, said the fight over emergency abortion care is “not over,” as she urged voters to elect “reproductive equity champions” this November.

“We know litigation in this case will continue in the coming months, and we would not be surprised to see this question before the Supreme Court again,” Hart Holder said. “It’s hard to celebrate this temporary relief because the question before the Court is so outrageous, insulting, and terrifying in the first place.”

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