Erika and Garin were 30 weeks into a complicated pregnancy when they learned that their pregnancy was not viable. Erika was denied an abortion due to New York’s 24 week cut-off so the couple travelled to Colorado to terminate her pregnancy. Their experience with New York’s abortion law, and the realization about how others were affected by it, led them to share their story publicly and advocate for reform.
They founded the RHAvote campaign, the grassroots home for the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), a bill that decriminalized abortion in New York and brought the state’s regulation of abortion in line with Roe vs Wade. They worked alongside a statewide coalition, and in January 2019, New York finally passed the RHA after being stalled for almost a decade.
After seeing the power of patient narratives first hand, they began organizing later abortion patients across the country (PatientForward.org). They are also parents to a 2½-year-old-daughter, Pepper.
Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share? Leave us a short voice message here! We may use your message on a future show.
Related Links and Resources
PatientForward
RHAvote.com
Erika & Garin on Twitter: @RHAVote
Tolentino, Jia. “Interview With a Woman Who Recently Had an Abortion at 32 Weeks.” Jezebel. June 15, 20216.
Tolentino, Jia. “How Abortion Law in New York Will Change, and How It Won’t.” The New Yorker. January 19, 2019.
The New York Times Editorial Board: A Woman’s Right (Series). The New York Times. December 28, 2018.
Tolentino, Jia. “Interview with Dr.” The Hairpin. September 20, 2013.

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