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Dear John,
Just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, Mylissa Farmer’s water broke. She was just under 18 weeks pregnant. Doctors determined that her pregnancy was no longer viable—and that she was at risk of severe blood loss, sepsis, and death. Yet two hospitals she visited in Missouri and Kansas denied her the emergency abortion care that her doctors said she needed. Mylissa was forced to drive to Illinois, hours away, to reach a health care provider that would treat her.
This situation should never have happened. EMTALA (the Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act) is a federal protection that ensures no person is turned away from receiving the emergency care they need, regardless of state laws. NWLC pushed the Biden administration to hold the two hospitals that denied Mylissa care accountable under this protection, and on May 1, they did—making it clear that hospitals denying pregnant people life-saving abortions can and will face consequences.
This is a major win for protecting access to life-saving abortion care, and we’re just getting started. Join NWLC in fighting for gender justice and protecting abortion access everywhere it’s under attack. Every gift will be matched, up to $15,000, until June 30.
In a post-Roe world, NWLC is working to defend reproductive rights from every angle. We just launched the Abortion Access Legal Defense Fund to help people pay for legal expenses when they face legal action for seeking an abortion or helping someone else get one. We’re pushing for expanded access to birth control, including approval of over-the-counter birth control pills. We’re working to protect abortion medications like Mifepristone, and rewriting the narrative of shame and judgment conservatives have tied to abortion access. Your support makes this work possible. If you can, I hope you’ll make a matched gift right now. Every donation, whether it’s $5 or $50, really does matter as we plan for the work to come.
And John, there is a LOT to do. NWLC is fighting to protect trans kids at school and pregnant people at work, to demand justice for survivors of sexual assault, and give legislators the cold hard facts they need on child care costs, school discrimination, and more. We are shining a light on the unequal impacts of the pandemic on Black women and their families, and pushing Congress to tax billionaires their fair share.
As a team of lawyers, researchers, and advocates, our approach is unique and effective. For 50 years, NWLC has played a role in the biggest political and legal victories for gender justice. We have the experience and expertise to win in today’s critical fights—but only with your help. Make your matched gift before June 30.
Thank you for all you do to support the fight for gender justice.
Sincerely,
Michelle Banker
she/her/hers
Director of Reproductive Rights and Health Litigation
National Women's Law Center
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