It had started with an abnormal Pap smear.
The woman was in her mid-30s, a mother.
The woman would need a hysterectomy and the top portion of her vagina removed.
She would have significant, aggressive rounds of chemotherapy.
Doctors needed to treat the cancer urgently, for save her life.
But amid this whirlwind, the woman got another surprise.
Abortion activist Nancy Davis peeks at her infant daughter as she prepares to share her story.
Because of the fetus growing inside her, and because she lived in Louisiana.
The same day, Louisianas so-called trigger ban went into effect, effectively banning abortion entirely.
One of the few exceptions in state law is if the mother is facing a risk of death.
Cecile Richards with her daughter, Hannah Adams, who came to help with the storytelling project.
It was very difficult to navigate, says Dr. Freehill.
Does she fall under the exceptions?
Even if she does, how do we document this?
The group gathers to catch a glimpse of Nancy Davis' baby daughter in between interviews.
How can we move forward?
The patient was adamant about what treatment she wanted an abortionand Dr. Freehill agreed.
Inducing labor at such an early gestation would then by nature end the pregnancy.
I did the best that I could by her, but it still was not what should have happened.
When you induce a pregnancy early on, it takes longer, Dr. Freehill explains.
Its a harder process, and you have a much higher risk of complications….
Unfortunately, this patient had her induction, and when she delivered, she hemorrhaged.
She lost over a liter of blood.
She had to have a blood transfusion that could have been avoided.
And that sticks with me.
Dr. Freehill pauses briefly, her voice brimming with quiet rage.
I did the best that I could by her, but it still was not what should have happened.
They hope that by gathering together and shouting their trauma with one voice, they can make a change.
How much worse is it going to get?
Where are we going?
Im doing my best to fight things getting worse, but I dont know if thats going to happen.
Louisiana now has the distinction of being one of the most restrictive states in the nation for abortion.
It is nowone of 14 stateswhere abortion is completely banned with limited exceptions.
[Women] have to start voting like our lives depend on it.
Shes still trying, because shes seen the depravity to which Republican lawmakers will subject their women constituents.
We, she tells me, meaning women, have to start voting like our lives depend on it.
Outside of states with abortion bans, though, its hard sometimes to get people to really feel it.
In Louisiana, and in the now21 statesthat ban or restrict abortion.
Every day, constantly.
But if we needed abortion care,wecould still access it.
Its chillingly easy to put states we dont live in out of sight, and out of our minds.
And then there are those who ask questions like, do people down there even want abortions?
Do they even care to fight?
The answer, Ive learned, is yes.
It started in Louisiana, then Florida.
Now, Richards and her team are officially codifying their storytelling project, naming itAbortion in America.
On Wednesday, they are launching a website andsocial mediaaccounts where the stories will live.
Make everyone pay attention to what is happening with reproductive rights on the ground.
For Richards, this work doesnt feel like a choice.
What she found instead was not just people telling stories.
They were screaming, begging for anyone to listen.
So, she did.
Abortion activist Nancy Davis peeks at her infant daughter as she prepares to share her story.
Richards, of course,needs no introduction.
The former longtime president of Planned Parenthood, best-selling memoirist, andlifelong advocatefor reproductive health cares reputation precedes her.
Richards met her husband, Kirk Adams, there while they both were working to organize hotel workers.
I personally have a soft spot in my heart for Louisiana.
I always knew I would be back here, she says.
They married, had three children, and lived in New York and DC.
After her diagnosis Richards began an intensive treatment plan in New York City (they kept their apartment).
But her heart was still in Louisiana.
Its a state worth fighting for, she tells me.
Its such a misunderstood part of the country.
People kind of dismiss it, like, What are those people thinking?
And I loved living there.
So starting in early 2024, Richards received treatment in New York from Monday to Thursday.
None of the participants, or even Richards herself, knew what it would become.
But it soon became apparent to all who were there that something had been set ablaze.
Cecile Richards with her daughter, Hannah Adams, who came to help with the storytelling project.
When I miscarried at home, it was really scary, she says.
My boyfriend was really helpful through the whole thing.
I dont know another man that wouldve done [that], clean up behind me.
I was running through the house.
I couldnt sit still.
To go to the hospital and get insulted like that…It still feels like a dream, honestly.
According to Meyers, the doctor asked her, Are you sure you were actually pregnant?
I felt insulted, she says.
I was confused more than anything.
Why would you even ask me that?
For the doctor to just say, Hey, are you sure youre even pregnant?Come on.
Ive never been through anything like that in my life.
After weeks of coaxing, Joshua has convinced Meyers to share her story.
And it did take a lot of coaxing.
And women like Joshua and Meyers, who speak not just for themselves but so many others.
Some, like Meyers, are people she knows personally.
Others are prominent reproductive-justice advocates.
Dr. Avegno chose to be interviewed by her own daughter, Lucy Wagner, a college student.
Joshua, though, like Richards and Peterson, believes in the power of storytelling to make a change.
Given her experience, how could she not?
Abortion is health care.
The group gathers to catch a glimpse of Nancy Davis' baby daughter in between interviews.
As a journalist I have devoted my career to the idea that storytelling matters.
I obviously believe that it does.
But Ill admit, my belief in its power has been tested over time.
And even more surprisingly, hope.
I believe they can too.
And its not just Louisiana.
After all, she says, theres too much at stake for us not to listen.
Being able to find ways for people to get in that fight, its really important.
Thats the only way we change things.
Its not from the top down.
Its going to be from the bottom up.
