Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, August 17, members of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee hand-delivered over 1000 petition signatures to the CEO of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Gil Peri. The petition specifically calls on Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, or CHW, to resume medication-based care for patients seeking gender-affirming treatment.

The petition, which is still active and taking signatures, collected over 1028 signatures in under a two-month period. The signatures were accompanied by comments from patients, parents, healthcare workers and other community members. One signer, who identified themselves as LGBTQ and a healthcare provider in Milwaukee, wrote, “As a trans person and healthcare provider in Milwaukee, I add my voice to this demand. This is not a time to break trust, but a time to build trust in your providers, your patients, your families, and the advocates who support and stand with you.”

Another signer described the barriers their family encountered while trying to obtain care through Children’s, “My own child has been denied GAC from Children’s. Children’s would say otherwise, but the hoops they make people jump through are very much a problem. We did everything they asked, for over two years, and then we had an appointment that we thought was to get started on hormones, and were told we had to start over from the beginning because of how long it had been.”

The parent’s account shows how long delays and repeated requirements can amount to a denial of care in practice. 

RJAM said it stands with more than 65 Wisconsin organizations, faith communities and businesses that signed a coalition letter organized by Fair Wisconsin in May. In addition to the 1028 signatures delivered by RJAM, a separate petition directed at both UW Health and Children’s has collected more than 500 signatures.

Video of RJAM members delivering the petitions to Peri and the CHW offices was posted to the organization’s Instagram account, @reproductivejusticeaction.

RJAM said it had not received a response from Peri or CHW leadership, despite repeated attempts to obtain comment.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #LGBTQ #Healthcare #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, June 27 Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee (RJAM) commemorated four years of resistance after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. Community members gathered for a rally, march and vigil to honor the ongoing resistance and mourn the lives lost due to abortion bans.

The event began with crafts, thank-you card writing for abortion providers, and tabling by various community organizations fighting for safe and sustainable communities. Representatives from Pro-Choice MKE, Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and ACLU of Wisconsin spoke to attendees about some of the issues that continue to face the reproductive justice movement in Milwaukee and beyond.

Some of the issues highlighted were the need for clinic escorts, safe access to abortion providers, and the fight for liberation of women and LGBTQ folks through a working class revolution. Andrea Waters from Freedom Road Socialist Organization shared, “We must fight for the liberation of women and LGBTQ people. This includes abortion access. This includes fair wages. This includes childcare for working parents.”

To close the event, organizers and community members marched on city hall for a vigil to honor the lives lost due to abortion bans. These deaths were not inevitable, but the result of politicians choosing ideology over evidence-based healthcare.

The vigil honored the following lives that were taken: Josseli Barnica, 28, Texas. Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick, 27, Texas. Amber Nicole Thurman, 28, Georgia. Candi Miller, 41, Georgia. Porsha Ngumezi, 35, Texas. Nevaeh Crain, 18, Texas. Taysha Wilkinson-Sowbyeski, 26, Indiana. Ciji Graham, 34, North Carolina. Tierra Walker, 37, Texas. Adrianna Smith, 30, Georgia.

Carly Klein, a founding member of Reproductive Justice Action- Milwaukee, stated, “Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee formed four years ago in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, with the support of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.”

Klein continued, “When the Supreme Court stripped us of our bodily autonomy and Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban was immediately reinstated, we knew that voting alone would not win back our rights. We knew it would take direct, sustained, organized action, and that is what we did.” The crowd cheered as she proclaimed, “In September 2023, abortion services resumed in the state of Wisconsin.”

RJAM understands and organizes around the fact that abortion access is not equitable. Carly went on to share. “Across this country, abortion bans have disproportionately harmed Black, brown, indigenous and working-class communities, Here in Wisconsin, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.”

To build safe and sustainable communities for all, we must work together to address these issues and bans.

As Reproductive Justice Action- Milwaukee celebrates their four years of resistance, they continue to fight for the liberation of women and LGBTQ folks by calling for an end to crisis pregnancy centers and the immediate restoration of gender-affirming care at Children’s Wisconsin. No rest while there is no Roe, and no rest until everyone has safe, affordable and equitable access to abortion.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, May 29, members of Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee and dozens of community members gathered for a press conference and rally demanding that a local pediatric hospital, The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW), restore access to gender-affirming care.

Since December 2025, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has denied trans youth access to life-saving gender-affirming care. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin halted services due to the threats that the Trump administration made to retaliate against any health care facilities that provide gender-affirming care to youth.

The crowd chanted, “Kids need care, not legislation! Trans youth liberation!” and marched to the hospital. While gathered at a nearby park, the group heard speeches from community members directly impacted by the attacks on trans youth. 

Kelly Stewart, a mother whose child recently lost access to gender-affirming care services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, stated, “As a parent, one of the most heartbreaking things I have experienced is the realization that my child's freedom to live, be known, loved, and valued for who they are, can be dictated by others in ignorant and cruel ways.”

Kelly asked the crowd, “When the largest hospital, that we entrust with our children's care, in Milwaukee submits in advance by suspending gender-affirming care, and gender-affirming care for all is under attack, what do families do?” and the crowd cheered, “We fight back!”

Jesse Goyette, a member of RJAM who received gender-affirming care from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, shared his personal experiences within a flawed medical system.

Goyette stated, “When I was a teenager, I would have never expected that the situation would be worse now than it was when I was young.” Ryan Clancy, Wisconsin state assembly member and father of two trans children, discussed his experiences meeting with the hospital’s administration. He explained it was “one of the most frustrating conversations of my life.” Ryan asserted, “They made a concerted effort to run over trans kids.” He highlighted how hospital systems, like Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, continue to prioritize profits over care.

Eli Carroll, of RJAM, ended the rally by saying, “Just like anti-abortion organizations and lawmakers have politically pressured the current administration to remove or severely restrict access to abortion care, we see anti-trans organizations and lawmakers mimic the same strategy.”

Carroll continued, “RJAM recognizes these patterns for what they are, and will continue to be vigilant in all cases of humans being denied their bodily autonomy. We stand with the community in our collective effort to defend access to care, whether reproductive, gender-affirming, or otherwise- and stand with our partners to defend the right to access critical health care.”

​Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee plans to continue to fight alongside the youth and their families who have been impacted by the abrupt interruption in life-saving care. They call on supporters near and far to sign their petition demanding restoration of services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #LGBTQ #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM) organized an emergency rally to demand access to mifepristone, the abortion pill medication, on Monday, May 4.

After a recent appeals court ruling that would’ve banned the prescription of the pill through telehealth or mail order, Louisiana sued the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), attempting to reinstate mandatory in-person consultations to have the medication prescribed. The state claimed that mifepristone access undermines their abortion ban The Supreme Court blocked the suit temporarily, and the official decision will be made in the next week. The fight for bodily autonomy and reproductive health continues.

There is a slew of anti-abortion legal cases being pushed through courts nationwide.

Milwaukeeans still came together at a rally for abortion rights, with dozens of people gathering in downtown Milwaukee to call for access to mifepristone and chanting, “Not the courts, not the state, the people must decide their fate.”

RJAM hosted three speakers, then led some loud chanting on the corner of Red Arrow Park, their voices echoing through the city to nearby traffic, pedestrians and City Hall.

Abortion remains legal in Wisconsin, but there are only five abortion clinics, in the southeast region of the state and Madison, leaving the majority of the state and rural areas without services. Wisconsin also does not allow telehealth consultations for abortion, so their access is still very restricted. Meanwhile, the “pro-life” religious groups in Wisconsin operate 50-plus crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) around the state, working to deceive and deny women their rights.

The protest drew an energetic, multi-generational crowd.

RJAM kicked off the speeches with their founding member, Carly Klein, demanding, “Bodily autonomy for all. Unrestricted access to abortion care. Immediate mifepristone access. The right to telehealth abortion services. An end to politically motivated attacks on healthcare.” She added, “Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee will continue to organize, mobilize, and fight because our lives depend on it.”

Klein continued, “This has never been about safety. Mifepristone is one of the most studied medications in the United States and has been used safely by millions. Anti-abortion politicians continue to spread misinformation to justify control over our bodies and our healthcare decisions.”

Jo Fox from Planned Parenthood-Generation Action at UWM stated, “Attacks on mifepristone are a steppingstone to the end-goal: a no-exception ban on abortion access nationwide.” The crowd chanted back “That ain’t right!” Fox also spoke on the unnecessary barriers Wisconsinites face when trying to access care, including a two-visit minimum requirement, and a prohibition on advanced care practitioners (RNs, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) to provide abortion medications to patients.

Andrea Waters from Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “Wealthy people in the ruling class will still find a way. They can travel, they can pay, and get private care.” While the working class cannot do so easily. She added, “Capitalism wants our labor, it wants our children’s future labor. It wants us to carry the burden of care while the state cuts services, bosses keep wages low, landlords raise the rent, and healthcare becomes more expensive. The super-exploitation of women has never been more clear.”

RJAM reminded us that abortion care is still available for now. Whether or not mifepristone stays legal, there is still another medication, misoprostol, that can induce abortion.

Abortion is healthcare and women, and the people, need unrestricted access to it, lest they return to the dark ages of back-alley abortions, or the situation in states where it is banned, leading to criminalization and death for the lack of abortion care. Reproductive justice for all, now.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #RJAM #Abortion #ReproductiveRights

Milwaukee, WI – Community members gathered for a screening of Preconceived on April 12 to learn about the dangers of crisis pregnancy centers.

Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM) hosted a screening of the documentary followed by a discussion as a part of their Crisis Pregnancy Centers Out of MKE campaign.

Crisis pregnancy centers are also known as unregulated pregnancy centers or fake abortion clinics. Crisis pregnancy centers are clinics in buildings or mobile vans which claim to be reproductive health clinics but are actually run by anti-abortion activists who trick pregnant people seeking abortions into keeping their pregnancy, using deceitful means. Currently there are 50-plus crisis pregnancy centers in Wisconsin and only five legitimate clinics offering abortion care.

With promises of financial and community support for keeping the baby, the CPCs are able to draw in pregnant women before promptly abandoning the new parent and baby once the child is born.

These “clinics” are strategically placed next to Planned Parenthood locations, in predominantly Black, Chicano and low-income communities. One of the anti-abortion activists interviewed in the documentary brags about specifically targeting Vietnamese and indigenous communities.

In addition to strategic placement, CPCs use religious imagery, language, and shame to convince people to either avoid or “reverse” an abortion. CPCs will give progesterone to “reverse” an abortion pill regime. When this procedure was being researched the entire program was halted due to the danger to participants. Real doctors and medical professionals would not recommend this course of action to a patient.

The showing of Preconceived is just one part of RJAM’s CPCs Out of MKE campaign. Using direct action, RJAM works to bring attention to and educate community members on crisis pregnancy centers and the harm they cause to reproductive health.

RJAM shut down Alliance Family Services early on their opening day in 2025. RJAM is currently supporting the Stopping Abuse, Fraud, and Exploitation by Governing Unauthorized Access to Reproductive Data (SAFEGUARD) Act in the Wisconsin state legislature. This act will give patients power to take back control of their private health information from these deceitful CPCs.

Additionally, it will force CPCs to disclose that they are not HIPAA-compliant, to obtain written permission to share data, and to disclose instances of data breach. Visit cpcsoutofmke.com to learn more about how to support reproductive justice work in Wisconsin.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – Activists with Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee (RJAM), have been showing up consistently throughout the month of September to protest the newly opened Alliance Women's Clinic.

“Places like Alliance want to divert you from accurate and accessible healthcare,” stated a member of RJAM on September 15.

“We believe that no healthcare professional’s religious, moral, or personal opinions affect your abortion care,” continued another RJAM member.

“Our bodies, our lives! Our right to decide!” chanted Catie Petralia, an RJAM member, and followed by an echo of protesters outside of Alliance.

Activists hope to raise awareness about the harm the newly opened clinic can cause. Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee has protested other fake clinics in Milwaukee over the past few years, mainly the Women’s Care Center. RJAM’s Instagram notes that “fake clinics” or “crisis pregnancy centers” operate as healthcare entities that are funded by religious pro-life organizations to manipulate pregnant women into not choosing or receiving life-saving abortion care.

Alliance opened its doors in late August 2025, on the outskirts of West Allis, Wisconsin. RJAM took notice of this after they had protested an Alliance Family Services van in June, which had parked outside of Planned Parenthood in Milwaukee for months. The Alliance agenda, per their website, is anti-abortion centered.

Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee will be continuing to show up to picket Alliance Women’s Clinic “until we kick them out of the city. They are not welcome here!” Stay tuned with Fight Back News to hear more stories about this fight.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of July 21, activists gathered for a picket outside of a vacant building on the outskirts of West Allis.

“Milwaukee, open your eyes! Fake clinics spread lies!” protesters chanted, as they lined themselves up in front of the building where Alliance Women’s Services was set to have its grand opening.

Alliance Women’s Services is owned by Alliance Family Services, a dedicated anti-abortion organization that operates several crisis pregnancy centers around the Midwest. Crisis pregnancy centers are fake clinics funded by anti-abortion rights organizations, and in some cases, by state funding.

During the picket, Reproductive Justice Action – Milwaukee’s propaganda chair, Carly Klein, exposed Alliance Family Services, “Alliance Health, your names a lie, you don’t care if people die! Make no mistake, this is not a real healthcare provider. This is a fake clinic. They lure women in, with the promise of free ultrasounds and pregnancy tests. But once you’re inside, their true agenda becomes clear. They give misinformation, delay time sensitive care, and pressure people to continue their pregnancies!”

Reproductive Justice Action rallied outside the proposed clinic for about 45 minutes, the building remaining vacant. With no signage or indication that this building would be opening soon, they left a mark for the community by chalking messages on the sidewalk in front. Some messages included, “Fake clinic!” “Abortion is healthcare!” and “Do not enter!”

The activists expressed that they will remain steadfast in fighting against the opening of this new fake clinic and hope to get the community directly impacted involved in the fight as well. Alliance Women’s Clinic still has yet to open their doors.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #Abortion #ReproductiveRights #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – Around 30 people gathered for a press conference and rally Wednesday, July 2 celebrating a landmark Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that effectively restored abortion access in the state. The court ruled 4-3 in favor that Wisconsin's 1849 law is not an abortion ban. This clarification removes the legal threat the ambiguous law posed to abortion providers since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Due to this, abortion services were paused for 15 months in Wisconsin while the legality was decided by the courts. “This interpretation of an 1849 law confirms what we know is true, abortion is not a crime,” remarked Blake Jones, chair of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM).

“But our fight is far from over,” she continued, “Right now, significant barriers to access still exist. State law enforces a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, paired with a mandatory ultrasound. Telehealth services for abortion care remain illegal, leaving rural Wisconsinites behind.”

While abortion remains legal in the state, enemy forces come into play when it comes to accessing healthcare for women.

Fight Back News previously covered RJAM’s battle against fake clinics, also known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). “It’s Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life who want to take abortion protections away. They are in our communities funding fake clinics, using deceptive tactics for influencing women to not seek an abortion,” said Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee Propaganda Chair and Freedom Road Socialist member Carly Klein, the emcee of the event.

But Milwaukee will not give up the fight, said Jones, “So we’re calling on every politician and lawmaker: Include us in the fight for reproductive freedom. We the people demand our seat at the table. And to all Wisconsinites, stay activated. If today proves anything, when we fight, we win!”

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #SCOTUS #CPCs #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, June 28, more than 60 people gathered at Cathedral Square Park in the light of downtown Milwaukee, to commemorate the Stonewall Uprisings and the Black Nite Brawl.

The Black Nite Brawl is a crucial piece of history from 1961, before the Stonewall Riots, where when four individuals chose to go to the Black Nite Bar with the intentions of causing trouble at the locally known gay bar. The bashers were not prepared for the pushback they were to receive. There were countless gays, lesbians and trans people ready to defend themselves, and make it clear that they were ready to fight for their right to exist. The night had quickly escalated, ending with a fight to defend the bar and its patrons.

“This act of resistance predates the more widely known Stonewall Riots and highlights the early involvement of the queer community in standing up against systemic oppression. The brawl has since become a symbol of queer struggle and solidarity, amplifying the role of intersectionality in the ongoing fight for queer liberation,” said Robby Knapp, an SDS member.

The rally featured a handful of speakers, from Students for a Democratic Society Milwaukee (SDS UWM) and the Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM), the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC), the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Endorsing groups included Hate Free Outagamie and Society of Indigenous Students @ UW-Milwaukee. Each of the speakers brought an important piece of pride and how it’s interconnected to their own work as organizers.

A member of MAC, said, “Pinkwashing ignores that both Israel and the United States are themselves violently anti-LGBTQ, as we can see with our current administration as it gleefully attempts to slash LGBTQ rights one bill after the other.” Their speech highlighted the fact that while Israel claims they care for LGBTQ people in the Middle East, the bombs they are dropping on Palestine do not discriminate for the queer people that live there.

Lauren Forbush, from RJAM stated, “Our community is still experiencing the same oppression as our predecessors. The violence hasn’t stopped. We mourn Jonathan Joss, brutally murdered – Infront of his husband. We mourn Sam Nordquist. We mourn Amyri Dior, a vibrant 23-year-old trans woman from Milwaukee, stolen from us. These are not isolated incidents. They are a part of a relentless pattern of violence targeting our trans siblings, our queer family, especially people of oppressed nations who are black and brown, and those facing economic hardship.”

RJAM and SDS UWM had four key demands: “Cops and corporations out of Pride – no more rainbow-washed oppression; Pride was born from resistance, not policing or profit! Keep gender affirming care accessible – trans healthcare is healthcare, no bans, no barriers! Protect trans youth – hands off their healthcare, sports, schools and futures! Healthcare for all! Full access to gender affirming care and trans inclusive services!”

“We cannot stop showing up. We cannot stop fighting! We may have achieved hard-won rights like gay marriage and legal protections for the LGBTQ community, but the Trump administration has proven how easily these rights can be taken away. The overturning of Roe v. Wade, attacks on trans youth, healthcare restrictions for LGBTQ+ communities; we must keep fighting and we will win!” Said Patricia Fish, chair of SDS UWM.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #LGBTQ #RJAM #Pride #SDS #MAC

Milwaukee, WI – On May 20, Milwaukee Reproductive Rights organizers were back out on the sidewalks picketing and shutting down another anti-abortion clinic or “crisis pregnancy center” (CPC). This so-called clinic, Women’s Care Center, is notorious for its location right across from where a real abortion clinic used to be housed.

The actual clinic had to move due to a lease issue but remains open elsewhere. Its previous location, on the east side, drew anti-choice protesters for years, who got aggressive with women seeking healthcare and shouted religious rhetoric. The Women’s Care Center often supported the antis, as the center is tied to the anti-abortion lobby group, Pro Life Wisconsin.

This was an important target for Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee (RJAM) for the history, prominence and negative impact this fake CPC has on the city and pregnant people. The actions also continue RJAM’s campaign to raise awareness of these anti-abortion clinics and demand they’re truthful about their services or be shut down.

Shouting chants such as “No fake clinics, no more shame! People’s health is no