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.
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.”
NBC Connecticut | Work underway to improve access to reproductive care on college campuses
Advocacy groups like Reproductive Equity Now were also there to support students and to hear from them.
“We want to ensure that students can access all of the care and support they need so they can continue pursuing their educational and career goals,” said Liz Gustafson, the Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now.
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.
Stamford Advocate | 'Abortion is on the ballot': What's at stake for reproductive rights in Connecticut this November?
"The stakes of this election when it comes to reproductive freedom have never been higher in all 50 states," said Taylor St. Germain, spokesman for Reproductive Equity Now which advocates for abortion rights. "Including Connecticut."
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.”
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.”
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.
The Boston Globe | Trump’s running mate thinks even less of women than he does
“Every single person in America who believes in gender equity should be having nightmares about JD Vance,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, head of Reproductive Equity Now. “This pick shines a bright light on the Republican Party’s true goal for America, and that is to make women subservient to men.”
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."
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.
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.
Axios | Out-of-state abortions in Massachusetts double, but remain low
Rebecca Hart Holder, president of the Reproductive Equity Now coalition, says providers tell her group they're sending thousands of pills out of state.
The pills tend to go to patients who may not be able to afford to travel or who prefer to undergo treatment at home, Hart Holder says.
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.
CT Insider | Opinion: We will not stop protecting abortion in CT
By Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Liz Gustafson: Two years ago this month, our nation’s highest court decided in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, overturning the federal right to abortion. Since then, we’ve watched continued, coordinated extremist attacks on reproductive freedom in courtrooms and legislatures, and on ballots across the country.
Connecticut Public Radio | As abortion care providers see greater demand, CT's Blumenthal proposes legislation to boost funding
An estimated 171,000 patients in the U.S. traveled across state lines since the Dobbs decision to access abortion care “if they can afford to travel at all,” said Liz Gustafson, state director at Reproductive Equity Now.
She said federal funds are needed to meet the demand.
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.”
Worcester Telegram & Gazette | 'Beacon' for reproductive rights: Gov. Maura Healey acts to ensure access to abortion in Mass.
“The Supreme Court is to decide whether people with pregnancy complications should be allowed to live,” said Rebecca Hart Holden, president of Reproductive Equity Now.
WWLP | Governor signs executive order protecting access to emergency abortions
“This executive order will continue to make Massachusetts a beacon for reproductive healthcare in a post-Roe world, no matter what the U.S. Supreme Court does. This executive order will save lives,” says President of Reproductive Equity Now Rebecca Hart Holder.