20 Democratic governors form abortion-rights coalition amid 'unprecedented assault'

Christine Fernando, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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A group of 20 Democratic governors announced Tuesday they are forming a coalition to strengthen abortion access after the fall of Roe v. Wade.

Led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Reproductive Freedom Alliance creates a formal structure for governors "to strengthen reproductive freedom in the face of an unprecedented assault on abortion access and other forms of reproductive health care," according to a joint statement from the governors.

These efforts include sharing strategies to protect abortion providers from prosecution and maximize federal funding for reproductive health care. The group also aims to create a more coordinated response to efforts to limit abortion access, including a Texas lawsuit threatening FDA approval of a key abortion drug.

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Who is in the Reproductive Freedom Alliance?

The group calls itself nonpartisan but only Democratic governors have joined so far. These governors include:

  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom

  • Colorado Gov. Jared Polis

  • Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont

  • Delaware Gov. John Carney

  • Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green

  • Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills

  • Maryland Gov. Wes Moore

  • Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey

  • Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

  • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

  • New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy

  • New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

  • New York Gov. Kathy Hochul

  • North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper

  • Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek

  • Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

  • Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee

  • Washington Gov. Jay Inslee

  • Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers

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Advocates: Alliance needed 'now more than ever'

In a joint statement, the governors pledged to work together "to strengthen abortion firewalls across America."

"As governors representing nearly 170 million people across every region of the country, we are standing with all people who believe in reproductive freedom and health care," the group said. "We are standing with them to say, 'enough.'"

Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that the alliance is needed "now more than ever" as medication abortion and other forms of abortion access are threatened.

"It will be more important than ever for elected leaders to be bold and invest in health care services, patients, and abortion providers," Johnson said.

Dig Deeper: Abortion Access

Contributing: The Associated Press

Contact Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Governors form Reproductive Freedom Alliance to guard abortion rights