Photo: Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee - Facebook
Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee
Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee
Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee (RJAM) is a grassroots organization formed this summer Roe v. Wade was overturned. They have 10 demands: the repeal of Wisconsin State Statute 940.04, the complete separation of church and state, that law enforcement not enforce abortion bans, that Wisconsin law enforcement read Miranda Rights to detainees, that the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County dismiss and not prosecute all abortion cases, community control over the police, free menstrual products for all who menstruate, and public access to all contraceptives.
The coalition’s leadership consists of Chair Lauren Forbush, Outreach Chair Kate Buschmann, Finance Chair Hayley McNeill, Education Chair Courtney Kissinger and Propaganda Chair Carly Klein. Their formation came at the urgency of protecting reproductive justice after Wisconsin immediately restricted abortion access following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision at the end of June.
“There was a protest at the Planned Parenthood on Capitol Drive that weekend,” Forbush recalls. “We planned to do it again the next day and it ended up being a little more organized with megaphones and marshals. At the end, a few folks from Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (MAARPR) were there and they told us they loved what we did. We set up a meeting with them and that was really how RJAM started.”
According to Guttmacher Institute, as of August 2022 it is illegal to have an abortion in Wisconsin unless in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest. In fact, patients seeking abortions are legally required to receive counseling to discourage them from the procedure before undergoing a 24-hour waiting period before they can make their decision. Then patients are required to receive an ultrasound and view an image of the fetus. These tactics are carefully designed to manipulate patients into following through with their pregnancy.
Forbush continues, “There weren’t any grassroots organizations fighting specifically for reproductive justice in Milwaukee and we knew there had to be organized action for this. We’ve had a lot of help from MAARPR and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and now we’re part of the International Women’s Day Coalition.”
They got to work fast; their first official march as RJAM was on the Fourth of July just four days after the first citywide post-Roe v. Wade march. They started a petition to get Milwaukee County Supervisors to pass a resolution granting abortion access in Milwaukee, gathering over 1,000 signatures. When Milwaukee County supervisors voted against the referendum to include abortion access on the November ballot, they picketed said officials’ homes and earned the support of two county supervisors. Then they held another march at UWM co-sponsored by Students for Democratic Society for their National Day of Action in September.
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“We’ve been working directly with the county supervisors to make sure the resolution is strongly worded, direct, and as clear as possible in showing why reproductive justice is needed on the grounds of it being a medical procedure,” McNeill said.
On September 22 the resolution passed in a 12-2 vote. It states that Milwaukee County Supervisors call on the Wisconsin state legislature to change Statute 940.04, which does not represent public sentiment based on the June 2022 Marquette poll. The resolution also states that Statute 940.04 (which is from 1849) is in violation of federal health guidelines. The resolution also makes it very clear that it’s not just women whose reproductive rights are under attack. “This is for all individuals to have the right resources,” McNeill concluded.
It’s been about two weeks since Milwaukee County Board voted on the resolution and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has not signed it yet. Buschmann adds, “We’ve reached out to him via email and phone; it’s not really official until he signs it.”
RJAM are having their next march in coordination with the International Women’s Day Coalition this Saturday, Oct. 8 at the North Point Water Tower (2288 N. Lake Drive) at 3 p.m. Also sponsoring the march are Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Students for Democratic Society, Midcoast Collective, Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba, Protect Our Rights Milwaukee and Young Workers Committee. Says Forbush, “We want to make Milwaukee an abortion sanctuary city and we’re keeping an eye on different ways we can do that.”
“We want everyone to come join our community,” Buschmann adds. “We have space for everyone no matter your capacity. Us and all of the organizations we work with take safety very seriously.”
“We’re putting together reproductive justice educational programs,” Kissinger says. “We just had a training yesterday for our members; none of us are experts but we’re working on getting thought leaders to educate everyone on these areas.”
Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee have general membership meetings twice a month on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Visit their Linktree here for all social media links or contact them via reproductivejusticeaction.mke@gmail.com.
