FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Contact:
Jocelyn Foye,
Executive Director, The Womxn Project
[email protected]
w. 401-400-0061
Activists Demand Swift Passage of Abortion Access Bill
Advocates from across the state are showing up and speaking out today as the 2023 legislative session begins to say no more delays on the EACA!
[Providence, RI] – Statement from The Womxn Project urging the Rhode Island General Assembly to take quick action to pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act in 2023:
“As a new legislative session begins, we look forward to the opportunity to work with our state’s leaders to address the complex issues facing Rhode Island and to push for positive change. We are committed to ensuring that lawmakers stand with women and families by advancing policies to achieve reproductive, racial and economic justice. Every person in our state should be able to make personal decisions, have access to affordable health services and maintain our bodily autonomy. We should be able to not just get by, but thrive. We must do all we can, so that no one is denied the opportunity to be healthy and live with dignity. That is our demand and that is what we commit to at the start of this new session.
We must immediately and swiftly pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act to make sure the right we worked hard to pass is not taken away from people based on how much money they have or the type of insurance they use to get their healthcare. It is not our place to impose our personal beliefs on someone else or to meddle with decisions about pregnancy, parenting and abortion. That is what abortion bans do. They are harmful, discriminatory and just plain wrong. No more delays. Let’s pass the EACA this year!
Self-determination and the ability to be a parent when we are ready should not be a privilege. It should be a right. We are committed to doing all we can to help close gaps in access to the range of care people need to plan their families and manage their health, as well as efforts to support low-income families.
Too many people in our state are living in poverty due to wage disparities, a lack of paid leave or living wages, as well as inadequate access to education and employment opportunities. We will continue to organize with our partners to help create and secure policies and programs to ensure financial stability and economic justice. Part of that call to action is to build on efforts to protect voting rights and remove barriers to the ballot to ensure we all have a voice in the systems that impact our health and lives.
The Womxn Project, our board and volunteers are committed to fighting for our right to build the futures we dream of and we’re going to keep fighting until that right is a reality for all! We are showing up today at the State House and we will keep showing up. We are certain that our voice, our vision and our leadership will continue to be critical in the 2023 legislative session and beyond.”
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Jocelyn Foye is available for interview upon request.