Nevadans For Reproductive Freedom
For Immediate Release: August 26, 2024
Contact: tova@nv4reprofreedom.org
Reno, NV – Today, Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom advocates joined 1990 Campaign for Choice chair Maggie Tracey to reflect on the decades-long fight to protect abortion and reproductive freedom in Nevada, and make clear the urgency to vote yes on Question 6 this fall.
Maggie Tracey, who chaired the 1990 Campaign for Choice to pass statutory protections for abortion rights in Nevada, reflected on how despite the successes of the 1990 campaign, the fight for abortion rights and reproductive freedom is even more urgent today:
“Nevadans today value their freedom. They value their communities and their families, just as they did in 1990. Yet today that freedom is again threatened. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago, abortion is now out of reach and illegal for millions of women… It is outrageous and terrifying that what we fought for over 30 years ago, the fight for the freedom to make our own healthcare decisions, to keep the government out of our “bedrooms” and our private lives – is the same fight we are fighting today.”
For Dr. Helen Trop-Zell, a Nevada internal medicine doctor who shared her own abortion story, and reflected on how the extreme bans on abortion across the country have profoundly impacted the ability of doctors to provide care:
“I was fortunate to have had a supportive family and the ability to end my pregnancy, but that was a journey that no girl nor woman should ever have endured. I went on to college and medical school. I have practiced Internal Medicine for 40 years. Extreme abortion bans that we see in our neighboring states interfere with my freedom to treat patients. I took an oath to provide the best care for my patients. I cannot tell pregnant patients they do not have options. I cannot deny life-saving medical care for pregnant patients experiencing complications that threaten their lives and their pregnancies,” she shared.
Asma Baloch, President of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at the University of Nevada, Reno, shared what’s at stake this election for young voters in Nevada:
“I have met so many fellow students who chose to come to UNR because Nevada is a safe place to seek abortion and reproductive health care… As students, we have a responsibility not only to ourselves but also to our community and future generations to vote during this election. I want to remind you all that our voices matter and by voting on Yes on Question 6 we can create a future that prioritizes our reproductive freedom and our ability to thrive.”
Vivian Leal, a Washoe County activist who has been advocating for the passage of Question 6, detailed the threats to abortion rights nationally and in surrounding states, and why Nevadans need to proactively protect their rights in the face of these attacks:
“When people tell you that this protection is ‘not needed,’ look at history. Even recent history. Abortion bans are in place in two dozen states. Look at the fate of our sisters in our neighboring states of Arizona and Utah, where today they deny women care, with tragic, dangerous consequences. They are destroying lives. We will not allow that here.”
Background on abortion rights in Nevada:
A 1990 voter referendum codified the protections for abortion as outlined by Roe v. Wade into state law. However, this statute does not mean the right is permanently protected in the state constitution, and the existing statutory provisions are increasingly out of date.
The petition initiative to enshrine abortion rights into the Nevada constitution seeks to build upon and improve existing protections while taking into account the changing abortion rights national landscape after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
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Nevadans For Reproductive Freedom is a campaign united to enshrine the right to abortion into the Nevada constitution. We are a coalition of progressive organizations and citizens who believe that in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, Nevadans must take the final step of cementing into the state’s constitution the right to abortion.
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