Milwaukee, WI – On August 15, a brand-new grassroots organization, Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee, picketed outside the home of Milwaukee County District 6 Supervisor Shawn Rolland. This was in response to Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voting against putting an advisory referendum on Milwaukee County’s November ballot to overturn State Statute 940.04, which makes most abortions illegal in the state of Wisconsin.

“Shawn Rolland is one of the supervisors who voted against the referendum despite his pro-choice stance. Rolland’s decision to vote no, not only on something he claims to support so heavily, but on something that also affects pregnant people all over the state of Wisconsin is massively disappointing,” said Lauren Forbush, a member with RJA-M.

“To deprive the people of their right to vote for basic human rights due to the assumption and lack of effort to make us heard is ludicrous and this decision will not be forgotten by the public and RJA-M,” Forbush continued.

The protesters chanted outside of Rolland's house for over an hour, shouting “You worry about the cost, we worry about our lives!”, “Abortion is our right, we won’t give up this fight!” and “Use your voice for better! Dear Shawn! Use your vote for better!”

Rolland claims he is “strongly pro-choice” but voted no on the advisory referendum due to “concerns” about the $18,000 cost and also feels that Madison doesn’t care what Milwaukee residents have to say. He also believes that “they could be moved by ballot measures or advocacy efforts led by their own constituents or by business owners who are in their areas,” and to him “this seems like a lot of time, money, and effort we spend on this county, and ultimately, to what end?”

The message RJA-M is sending to Rolland, and the entire board of supervisors, is that a resolution be drafted and passed for Milwaukee County to become a safe haven for abortion access. They know this is possible due to Dane County’s resolution that was passed in May, protecting abortion for Dane County residents. RJA-M also demands that law enforcement within Milwaukee County shall refuse to apprehend any provider for performing abortion care, and that the district attorney’s office will dismiss all charges against any provider who performs abortion services.

This is an urgent matter and lives are at risk. People will die due to a lack of abortion services in Wisconsin. Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee is dedicated to making sure that the six Milwaukee County supervisors who voted no on this referendum will be held accountable for their action of denying the people of Milwaukee County their basic human rights.

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