from testimony to community

Snapshots from “Abortion Stories on the Hill,” June 23-25, 2026

sponsored by Free & Just

Here are some of the experiences that have stayed with me:

**The Senate Forum “Post-Dobbs Chaos: Republicans’ War on Reproductive Health Care,“ which included two patient advocates from Texas, Kaitlyn Kash and Samantha Casiano (Volume 9). I chased down Senator Elizabeth Warren to give her a copy of the print book of the project.

**Meetings with staffers for Ilinois Members of Congress Senator Dick Durbin and Rep. Jesús Garcia. After we told stories, a senior staff member began to cry.

**Sharing the books with some of those whose stories I’ve told and with family members of those who have died, like Porsha Ngumezi’s husband Hope, Candi Miller’s sister Turiya, and Tierra Walker’s family.

**Showing the page I stitched for Amber Thurman, whose death in Georgia planted the seed for the project, to Amber’s mother, Shanette WIlliams. Shanette burst into tears and wrapped me in a long hug.

Kate Cox, whose story I tell in Volume 3

But the most powerful moments for me came during the debrief for all of us at the end of the day. I realized how much these brave storytellers need each other: people to laugh and cry with, people who understand the shorthand for devastating pregnancy and birth complications that lawmakers and even family members rarely understand. People who get it.

Some of the storytellers described the toll that it has taken on them to repeatedly tell their painful, often traumatic stories: to press, to politicians, to anyone who will listen. One described being targeted by hateful people in her community. She said she had to step away from activism for a time, and urged other storytellers to remember that doing so was always an option.

I have realized that my project, in amplifying their stories, not only contributes to the cause and helps storytellers feel heard. But it can also relieve some of their burden. They don’t have to carry this weight alone. When they need to rest, the project can still be out there, telling their stories for them.

Telling these stories is the work of a community. That is what I felt so profoundly after I came home from Washington. I am a member of a community.