Repro Roundup 05.23
We had an incredible turnout at last week’s 2025 Breaking Barriers Gala! Despite growing anti-abortion extremism under the Trump Administration, our movement has never been stronger – and last Thursday night proved that. With over 400 people in attendance, we were sold out walking into the evening. We had an audacious fundraising goal – $400,000 – and we raised it! As our President Rebecca Hart Holder said at the gala, if there is one thing that Repro Equity Now doesn’t do, it’s play small ball.
We want to give special thanks to our amazing honorees and speakers. This year, we were fortunate enough to honor Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, Jen Rizzoti and the Connecticut Sun, filmmakers Heather and Sabrine Keane, New Hampshire Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka and House Minority Leader Alexis Simpson, and the brave abortion providers across Massachusetts using the Bay State’s shield law to provide abortion care via telemedicine to those across the nation. We also had Senator Ed Markey and Governor Maura Healey deliver inspiring remarks, and jazz singer Gabrielle Goodman fire up the crowd with her extraordinary musical talent.
If you missed out on the fun, don’t fret – we’ll see you at next year’s gala!
On to this week’s headlines –
News from New England
→ New Hampshire Republicans Ramp Up Attacks on Birth Control Access
On June 5th, both the New Hampshire House and Senate will vote on SB 72 and HB 10, two companion bills that would end confidential access to birth control for teens and force young Granite Staters to seek parental consent for contraception – regardless of whether or not the teen has a safe and supportive relationship with their guardians at home. This bill would devastate reproductive freedom for young Granite Staters and lead to increased teen pregnancy rates across the state. Yesterday, we delivered a version of the ongoing petition to political leaders in New Hampshire with over 300 signatures demanding that lawmakers reject this bill and protect access to birth control for all Granite Staters. You can still sign the petition, which we will ensure makes its way to lawmakers and Kelly Ayotte’s desk.
→ Launching the Protect Connecticut Coalition
We’re proud to be members of the Protect Connecticut Coalition, a new coalition of advocates dedicated to insulating the Nutmeg State from attacks from the Trump Administration and ensuring that Connecticut is a place where all can thrive. The Protect Connecticut Coalition is fighting for justice and dignity for immigrants, the protection of reproductive health care and gender affirming care, and investments in our economic and social safety net. Learn more about the Protect Connecticut coalition here and be sure to give them a follow on Instagram!
National Notice
→ House Funding Bill Slashes Funding for Planned Parenthood, Medicaid
The new funding bill passed by the Republican-controlled Congress includes massive cuts to Medicaid, slashing of Planned Parenthood funding, and the institution of work requirements for Medicaid, which will result in the loss of coverage for millions. A report from States Newsroom spotlights the impact Medicaid cuts will have on maternal health care and prenatal care, as maternity wards across the country close due to lack of public funding and more providers close their doors due to loss of federal funding.
According to Planned Parenthood, 200 health centers nationwide are at risk of closure if the federal government “defunds” Planned Parenthood. In New England, tens of thousands of patients could lose access to essential reproductive health care—including birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing—if these closures move forward. In a statement yesterday, our President Rebecca Hart Holder said:
“Planned Parenthood is a cornerstone of our nation’s health care system—especially for people who are too often overlooked, underserved, or deliberately excluded. The House’s vote to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility or sound health policy. It’s a blatant attempt to exert government control over our bodies, our families, and our futures, and is a direct attack on gender equity…”
We stand in solidarity with our partners at Planned Parenthood who are fighting to provide accessible health care to millions against the backdrop of relentless attacks from the Trump Administration.
→ Continued Attacks on Mifepristone
Mifepristone continues to face attacks from the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine in court, attacks from Senator Josh Hawley (who, coincidentally, is married to the senior counsel for Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine) in Congress, and attacks from the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. RFK Jr. has recently ordered the FDA to review the approval of mifepristone based on misinformation from bogus studies produced by an anti-abortion thinktank. The Washington Post did a deep dive debunking the claims in this study and picking apart some of the numbers. A reminder: mifepristone is an extremely safe and effective medication—and has decades of real science to back it up!
→ Georgia’s Abortion Ban is Forcing Family to Keep a Woman, Declared Braindead, Alive
Devastating news from Georgia this week – a young woman named Adriana Smith tragically suffered a brain clot months ago and has been legally declared brain dead since February. But due to the state’s abortion ban, Ms. Smith has been kept artificially breathing on life support due to her pregnancy. The hospital at which Ms. Smith is currently being “treated” has determined that removing her from life support would violate Georgia’s abortion ban, as it would ultimately terminate her pregnancy. This is the tragic consequence of an abortion ban – a family denied autonomy and death with dignity due to anti-abortion extremism. You can support Ms. Smith’s family using this GoFundMe link.
→ Pop Stars and Icons Defend Planned Parenthood
Over 250 celebrities and influencers signed their name to a full-page New York Times ad in support of Planned Parenthood this past week. Signatories include Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, Melissa McCarthy, Natasha Lyonne, Gracie Abrams, Christina Ricci, Stevie Nicks and more. We’re grateful to see entertainment icons use their platform to stand up for our rights and reproductive freedom!
Get Involved!
📍ANYWHERE! Join the Abortion Access Advocates!
Abortion Access Advocates is a regional network of abortion advocates who are learning and growing together in their advocacy. Join us for our June meeting of AAA, where we will discuss the relationship between LGTBQ+ justice and reproductive equity and hear from queer leaders who are defending our community against anti-trans extremism. Register here!
📍ANYWHERE! Join Reproductive Equity Now at Pride events across New England!
June is around the corner, and with attacks on the trans community rising every day, it has never been more important that we show up for our trans siblings and show out at Pride events. Sign up to be notified of when we will be at Pride events across New England so you can say hi, help us hand out Plan B and information about abortion care access, and celebrate the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community in our region.
📍MASSACHUSETTS! Apply to become an Abortion Doula!
Those of you who joined our AAA training on Abortion Provider Appreciation Day in March will recall that we talked about the important role of abortion doulas. The Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund and the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts are hosting a Doula training at the beginning of June. Space is limited — register interest here!
Our Resources
Need to understand your legal rights to provide or access abortion care? Reproductive Equity Now’s Abortion Legal Hotline will help connect Massachusetts and Connecticut-based health care providers and helpers, as well as patients obtaining care in Connecticut or Massachusetts, with free legal advice and resources about abortion access. This resource is now available in Spanish.
Looking for an abortion provider in your area? Our New England Abortion Care Guide allows you to search by zip code for legitimate abortion clinics near you. It even flags dangerous and deceptive anti-abortion centers to avoid at all costs. This resource is now available in Spanish.
Want to learn more about how to combat anti-abortion centers in your community? Check out Reproductive Equity Now’s guidebook on anti-abortion centers to understand how anti-abortion centers often use deceptive practices to target patients seeking abortion care, and get the tools you need to avoid them.
Thank you so much for powering this fight. We’re grateful to have you in the movement with us.
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