AWC Speaks Out

A Woman’s Choice is proud to announce that we opened a clinic in Danville, Virginia! Our organization is excited to meet the growing needs of our patients and to properly respond to the tumultuous political climate in the South.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, abortion access in the South has only gotten worse as states enacted total and near-total abortion bans. Our clinics in North Carolina and Florida have seen an increase in patients, many coming from surrounding banned abortion states. A Woman’s Choice of Danville sits on the Virginia-North Carolina border, only 50 minutes from our Greensboro, NC clinic. Yet, the access on each side of the state line drastically differs.

From Kelly Flynn, President and CEO of the A Woman’s Choice clinics.

I opened A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville 21 years ago with the goal of providing compassionate, non-judgmental abortion care in our community. Abortions allow people to make fundamental decisions about their health, education, careers, futures, and the lives of the children they want to have.

My staff and I have been on the frontlines dealing with the aftermath of Florida’s 15-week abortion ban. In the more than a year it has been in effect, this ban has put the lives and health of Floridians and people of the South at risk. Abortion bans undermine the care we provide to patients who come to our clinic, often under complex and difficult circumstances.

Starting July 1, 2023 people in North Carolina will no longer be able to access abortion after the 12th week of pregnancy, and they will be forced to endure medically unnecessary restrictions that make it harder to get the health care they need even before 12 weeks. This is the impact of Senate Bill 20, a poorly drafted bill rammed through the legislature in less than 72hrs.

It’s been one year since the United States Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the federal right to abortion, and left a patchwork of abortion access across the US. This devastating decision has had detrimental effects on pregnant people across the country, as they experience worse pregnancy complications and increased delays in receiving care as many states have near or total abortion bans.  

When Roe v. Wade was overturned, anti-abortion actors celebrated but they did not plan to stop there, and they haven’t. Anti-abortion politicians and activists have continued to attack abortion rights and access to sexual and reproductive health care, despite the will of the people.  

Abortion remains legal in North Carolina up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.  The monster abortion ban will take effect on July 21, 2023.

Today, Republican lawmakers overrode Governor Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 20, a sweeping bill that bans abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy and imposes onerous restrictions that will severely limit abortion access in North Carolina.

A Woman’s Choice leadership, physicians, and frontline staff are frustrated and angry with the Republican legislators that promised to oppose new abortion bans in North Carolina yet voted for SB 20 and to override Governor Cooper’s veto. This is an absolute betrayal to their constituents. It is unconscionable.    

Last year when Roe v. Wade was overturned, anti-abortion actors celebrated but they let it be known that they were not to stop there, and they haven’t. Anti-abortion politicians and activists have continued to attack abortion rights and access to sexual and reproductive health care, despite the will of the people. In fact, since the overturn of Roe, 13 states have enacted near-total bans and further restricted abortion access. We have seen the devasting consequences of these bans and restrictions on our patients, our staff, and our communities. 

Late last night, North Carolina Republican legislators introduced a monster abortion ban, Senate Bill 20, that will ban abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy and introduce an astounding number of restrictions to limit abortion care. The bill is 46 pages of red tape for patients and providers in accessing and providing abortions, an essential part of health care. The bill is not only impractical but also extreme political interference in personal, intimate health care decisions. To say otherwise is misinformation and blatant lies. We are not fooled.  

Twenty-three years ago, the FDA approved mifepristone in a regimen for abortion care early in pregnancy. Since then, mifepristone has been used by more than five million people since the FDA approved it. Medical science has advanced, and mifepristone has been practiced for decades, and we know that it is safe and effective when used with misoprostol to terminate a pregnancy.

We’re relieved that tonight’s Supreme Court decision leaves healthcare decisions in the hands of healthcare providers like us and allows our patients to choose the course of care that is the best option for them.

At A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville, we believe that everyone should be able to make decisions about their own reproductive lives and futures, including choosing the method of abortion, miscarriage management, or pregnancy care that works best for their circumstances. 

“For months, we have been on the frontlines dealing with the devasting aftermath of Florida’s 15-week abortion ban that has put the lives and health of Floridians and people of the South at risk. Instead of addressing the harms of the 15-week abortion, Republican lawmakers are doubling down on their anti-abortion agenda and have passed a 6-week abortion ban,” says Kelly Flynn, President and CEO of A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville. 

This 6-week ban does not go into immediate effect. Abortion remains legal through 15 weeks of pregnancy in Florida.

A medication abortion uses two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol, to cause a person to pass a pregnancy, like a miscarriage. Mifepristone is safe, effective, and has been used by more than 5 million people in the U.S. since the FDA approved it more than 20 years ago.

Late on Friday evening, April 7th, in an unprecedented and deeply harmful move, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump-appointed judge in Texas ruled in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al to suspend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone. This decision threatens the 22-year approval of one of two medications used in the most common medication abortion regimen in the United States. The judge stayed the decision for 7 days to give the federal government seven days to seek appellate relief. As of right now, approval of mifepristone remains protected.

Yesterday, Republican extremists introduced a total abortion ban (HB533) in North Carolina. This total abortion ban has nothing to do with what is best for North Carolinians and everything to do with power and control. Anti-abortion politicians want to control our bodies, lives, and futures so they can maintain their power.

This whack-a-mole of abortion bans across the country is exhausting and devastating. North Carolina has remained a crucial access point for abortion care in the southeast. Abortion providers and activists have been saying for years that your zip code shouldn't determine your access to health care, and it's more true than ever. Having to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to access abortion care is cruel and disproportionately affects our most marginalized communities. We’re most concerned about them, especially folks in rural areas and minors. 

For months, Florida’s 15-week abortion has put the lives and health of Floridians at risk. Instead of addressing that harm, lawmakers are doubling down on their anti-abortion agenda. Already many Floridians are forced to travel thousands of miles to North Carolina to access care. This has NOTHING to do with protecting the health and safety of Floridians. This is about power and controlling our bodies and our futures.

Twenty-one years ago today, our President/CEO, Kelly Flynn, founded A Woman's Choice of Jacksonville with the goal of providing compassionate, non-judgemental abortion care so our patients could achieve their hopes and dreams. We're proud of the care we've provided and the patients we've served and will continue to do everything we can to remain here supporting you.

Today, A Woman’s Choice marks the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, more people are being denied access to abortion. However, we know that even before Roe was overturned abortion access was fragile and limited. Abortion access continues to be pushed out of reach, especially for Black people, Indigenous people, young people, and poor people. Legal abortion has not and will never be enough. We are aiming for abortion justice.

This morning, as patients were entering our Jacksonville clinic, 165 anti-abortion protesters held a demonstration that stopped traffic, blocking patients and staff from accessing the clinic. This is a direct violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (“FACE Act”).

We are deeply disappointed that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (“JSO”) allowed the assembly and a parade to extend beyond common property into private parking lots without dispersing this protest and allowing the chaos outside our facility to continue as patients sought legally protected healthcare. The anti-abortion harassment and bullying that happens outside of our clinic is racist, sexist, and hateful and when it impedes patients’ access to care, it is illegal.