Pressley Issues Call to Action on Fourth Anniversary of Devasting Supreme Court Dobbs Decision, Engages & Uplifts Families Harmed by Republicans Denial of Life-Saving Abortion Care

Transcript: Pressley Issues Call to Action on Fourth Anniversary of Devasting Supreme Court Dobbs Decision, Engages & Uplifts Families Harmed by Republicans Denial of Life-Saving Abortion Care

Free & Just Abortion Storytellers Event

June 23, 2026

Thank you all for being here. Thank you for taking time away from your lives, from your families, to come to Washington and to share your stories.

Stories can change the world. I know that to be true.

When we are denied our basic rights and dignity, those in power may be dismissive of facts and victims, but stories cut through.

Stories demand that we make eye contact, that we be fully present, and we sit in the moment. That we do not look away.

Now, for some of you here, the testimonies remind us of our self-agency, of our autonomy, and our empowerment, but for others, you’ll be sharing stories of raw grief, and trauma, and open wounds.

What binds us together today and every day is a steadfast commitment to our shared humanity. A belief that every person should get the medical care they need.

Now, I’m dating myself when I share this, this next line, but that’s okay, because I’m 52 and I’m holding. Thank you.

But I was two years old when the Hyde amendment was first adopted, a few short years after the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision. An attempt by a man to deny Black women and low-income women their fundamental right to care.

So it’s not abstraction, and I’m not being dramatic when I say that this modern day struggle for abortion justice quite literally spans my lifetime.

And in this moment I’m reminded that we are standing on the shoulders of s-heroes and giants.

I’m thinking of—they haven’t been reported in history, but their impact is undeniable and indelible—the sisters and the aunties who found a way, time and again, to give the loved ones the healthcare they needed.

I’m thinking of the doulas who provide compassionate care during a pregnancy release.

I’m thinking of the mutual aid neighbors extended to those traveling miles away from home to get care.

I’m thinking of the lawyers and the doctors who wielded the privilege of their professions to fight for our most basic human rights.

I’m thinking of the surviving family members robbed of a loved one, denied care, who press forward in their name.

I’m thinking of every abortion story, including from my own mother, passed down from mothers to daughters to grandmothers to best friends.

Our road map for survival and bodily autonomy stretches across the generations.

Abortion care is healthcare and a fundamental human right.

Together we’re organizing for true justice and liberation. For an America where every person gets the care they seek. Where abortion care is compassionate, is accessible, and essential.

You all came to Washington to do a brave thing, to do a powerful thing, to do a loving thing, to do a necessary thing—to share your stories.

So let me tell you, if no one has ever said it to you before, I am so very sorry that you have no choice but to bear your souls in order to compel action from your government.

But I am so deeply grateful for your willingness to do so. I’m grateful to inform you your stories are powerful, your experiences matter, and you deserve to be heard.

Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

I think there might be a greater one. To share that story when you feel like you’re screaming into a void and no one’s listening.

But I want you to know I’m listening, and I’m learning, and I’ll keep listening, and we’ll keep fighting until everyone is free.