Motherhood Identity Series with Kaitlyn Joshua, co-founder of Abortion in America
On the third anniversary of Roe’s fall, Louisiana-based activist and mother Kaitlyn Joshua shares how being denied miscarriage care reshaped her identity & purpose.
Three years ago today, Roe v. Wade was overturned — and everything changed. For Kaitlyn Joshua, that change wasn’t theoretical. It was visceral. It was personal.
And it was nearly fatal.
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, Kaitlyn was denied miscarriage care at two Louisiana hospitals — an experience that could have cost her her life, and instead ignited a new calling.
Today, she’s the co-founder of Abortion in America, a national storytelling initiative amplifying the lived realities of those impacted by abortion bans. Founded alongside the late Cecile Richards and Lauren Peterson, the organization is unapologetic in name and urgent in mission: to put faces and stories to the policies that are quietly, and sometimes loudly, reshaping reproductive health in this country.
Kaitlyn lives in South Louisiana with her husband and two children, balancing advocacy with motherhood in a state where simply needing care can be criminalized. In this raw, wide-ranging interview, she shares how she’s seen the landscape shift in the three years since Roe fell, the impossible choices families now face, and why she believes that being pro-choice is one of the most family-centered stances a person can take.
Her story reminds us that reproductive justice and maternal health are not separate fights—they are, and have always been, the same one.
Today marks three years since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. Looking back, how have you seen the landscape of reproductive rights shift most dramatically— especially in Louisiana?
The landscape of reproductive rights has shifted dramatically in the state of Louisiana. I honestly did not think it could get any worse in terms of laws or policy, but there has been swift and successful attempts at gutting the little bit of abortion access we had left in our state.
The state legislature passed a bill that makes mifepristone and misoprostol controlled substances, making it more difficult for providers to get access to the two commonly used abortion medications that are also used in a myriad of ways. Considering patients were already having difficulty accessing these two drugs, we are immediately seeing even more restrictions at pharmacies where patients are being turned away because the law sets precedent that no one in the state should have access to these life saving medications.
Just this past legislative session, which ended on June 12, 2025, conservatives introduced a bill that would allow for any family member to sue any physician who aided or abetted in what resulted in an abortion—whether deemed “necessary” or not. In the bill’s original posture, that lawsuit could have come from someone who committed interpersonal violence or sexually assaulted the pregnant person.
With amendments, the bill passed out of the legislature less egregiously, removing the ability for rapist’s family members to sue, and to some extent excluding doctors who practice in the state of Louisiana. This bill was a mere attempt to regulate the amount of pills by mail coming into the state of Louisiana. Again, another tactic to eradicate abortion access in our state.
After being denied miscarriage care, how do you process the increasing criminalization of pregnancy outcomes across the country?
It is frightening to say the least. The fact that women are being prosecuted for miscarriages is unfathomable. What if I would have been investigated for going to several hospitals in my area, seeking care, only to be arrested? That could easily be any of us at this point, and quite frankly in a state like mine, I would not be surprised if a bill similar to the language we have seen successfully passed in other states, makes its way onto our governor’s desk.
Reproductive rights activists and advocates have been warning us about this very real scenario for years. And unfortunately, the most vulnerable populations are black and brown women.
Gallup recently released polling showing a growing gender divide on abortion rights. As someone who speaks often about the role of family, how do you interpret men’s roles—and responsibilities—in this fight?
I am somewhere stuck between men needing to fall all the way back — how dare you pass laws on something you know nothing about?—and at the same time, please educate yourself and have our backs. It is about time that men start speaking out more about the dangers of maternity care desserts, the inability to access life saving healthcare and the very real fact that someone they know and love will need an abortion at some point in their lives.
Men need to wake up! Stop listening to the trad wife, pro-birther narratives rooted in fiction, and start reading media outlets that are doing the Lord’s work and researching the real impacts of abortion bans.
These bans are preventing people from safely growing their families, driving folks to make hard decisions that could impact other facets of their lives, and until we understand all of these issue areas are intersectional, we will never be able to address crime, poverty, education inequities and our housing insecurities.
There is nothing more “manly” than being pro choice. That truly means you put family first, you support a woman’s right to bodily autonomy.
How did the loss of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman, a tireless advocate for reproductive freedom, land with you and your team at Abortion in America?
This is hard. I say this is hard, because I still have not fully processed that someone was targeted based on their political beliefs. The belief that everyone should have access to life saving healthcare, and all women have their right to make difficult decisions with their medical providers, without the intervention of politicians. Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman was a true champion for liberation, and to lose someone so precious to a senseless act of violence is not only a tragedy but a wake up call.
This work is STILL so dangerous. It comes with so many sacrifices.
Abortion in America was designed to amplify the stories of pregnant people who have been denied care in states with abortion bans. We have to continue sharing those stories and doing the work to shift the narrative and change hearts and minds. Some people still see abortion care as a threat. We have to shift the narrative and remind folks that abortion care is healthcare.
Our main goal is to continue to help the movement destigmatize the word abortion and educate folks on the importance of acknowledging it for what it is: reproductive healthcare. The loss of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman is a reminder that we still have so much work to do. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
You’ve shared your own traumatic experience seeking miscarriage care. What legal or policy changes do you think are urgently needed to prevent others from enduring the same harm?
Considering EMTALA was struck down a week or so ago, I am slightly discouraged as to what message that is sending to emergency rooms across the country. But, I do know that EMTALA was put in place as a reminder that hospitals across the country should already be providing abortion care in dire situations like miscarriage treatment or any of the extenuating diagnoses that could potentially threaten the life of a mother. I would certainly say we need to restore some form of EMTALA to make sure we improve the quality of care pregnant people are receiving across the country, especially in banned states.
Clarity of the ban language is necessary in all the states that have this legislation on the books. Every year, in my personal capacity, I have advocated for the state of Louisiana to provide clarity on the law, and clean up the vagueness of the ban. They refuse to do it. This is an issue in every banned state, to my knowledge and that of course is by design. Authors of these bills have no intention of fixing the “unintended consequences,” as they are playing a much longer game here.
Something better than Roe V. Wade right? We knew Roe was necessary for its time, but would not sustain forever. We need enshrined constitutional rights to abortion.
I know that may feel like a pipe dream at this point, but we have to go after it at all costs. The whackamole approach, leaving the decision with the states simply put is not working. We must do something else.
In states heavily influenced by Trump-era policies, we’re seeing an uptick in the criminalization of pregnancy loss. How do you prepare people —especially Black women — for the risks they may now face simply for needing care?
Lately, I have been encouraging the black women in my life to do research on their OB/GYNs or medical providers of choice. I know that sounds wild, like who has time for that, but it is so extremely important to “match” with a medical provider who not only has your back and will save your life no matter what, but also practices within a health system that believes in putting people first, and do not mind heavily relying on their legal team who have their backs.
I always use the example of when I decided to try to get pregnant one more time. Before I had my son a year and a half ago, I asked around for referrals, did as much research as I possibly could before settling on a new provider in New Orleans: an hour away from where I lived. I knew I was in the right place the moment I walked through the door and she said “We believe in the word, ‘abortion’ here” and will use it if we need to.
I understand this comes with a lot of privilege, so I try to identify organizations and resources available for folks, particularly black women to help them identify a safe space or place in their state.
As sad as it may sound, I also warn black women about putting too much information in text or writing. Just be mindful about what you send and who you send it to. A lot of folks are being made to be “mandatory reporters" and we just have to move more carefully than we’ve ever had to in our lifetimes as pregnant people.
Because of the platform that I have been given over the last year or so, I have made some wonderful connections with legal advocacy groups like the Center for Reproductive Rights and other attorneys well versed in abortion rights. I always make sure to remind folks to get familiar with your rights under current law in the state you live in.
Abortion in America is a bold name. What did you want it to signal when you co-founded the organization, and how has that mission evolved?
Abortion in America is a bold name! It was intentional. Reiterating the need to destigmatize the word: abortion, and pushing back on narratives that shamefully place people in a box. When we started the organization, we wanted something that would catch the attention of the audience we are trying to reach. The mission has evolved because we initially set out to share stories, have them live on our website forever, and ultimately serve as a place for media to identify pregnant persons, or story, by state and be able to have well vetted information for their story.
Since then, we have taken our rightful place in the abortion rights movement to educate the community through storytelling as we know now that not nearly enough people are reading them or seeing them. Whether on social media, or where they get their news, it is just not reaching the people that need to hear it the most.
As a mother and advocate, what do you wish people understood about the emotional and physical realities of navigating reproductive health care in the post-Dobbs era?
Navigating reproductive health care in the post-Dobbs era takes a physical and mental toll on your overall well being. People need to understand that the inability for folks to access abortion care is impacting the type of reproductive healthcare women are receiving. Physicians and medical providers cannot give their patients the type of care we deserve, if their first thought is to protect themselves and their self interest: their career.
As a result of medical providers not being able to practice in their full capacity, a lot of times, the onus is on the patient to find someone who is, and sometimes depending on what state you are in, there is no one who falls in that category. If physicians are not willing to take the risk with their medical licenses or face jail time, the unfortunate truth is that pregnant women will continue to suffer.
You are basically signing up to take a risk with your life if you want to expand your family, one of those risks being if you are already a mother, you could quite literally die somewhere in your pregnancy journey.
(Just look at our already subpar maternal healthcare outcomes.) Knowing ALL of this is not only exhausting, but it can not be healthy for our bodies to deal with this much stress.
How do you speak to lawmakers or skeptics who see reproductive justice as separate from maternal health and family advocacy?
I go back to the basics. When speaking with lawmakers or skeptics who try to pick apart the “vast” differences between reproductive justice and the false claim that it has nothing to do with maternal health and family advocacy, I share my story. How as a mother of one, I was seeking care so that I could expand my family and because of the pro-life laws, I was denied that care, which ultimately put my life at risk. Without robust reproductive healthcare, the family unit ceases to exist.
So quite literally, reproductive justice is everyone’s issue.
I remind them the importance of being pro-life. Being pro-life is advocating for mom to be given the opportunity to consult with her medical provider, not politicians, to make hard decisions that are right for her life and her body. When mom is healthy and well-mentally and physically- the family can thrive. Being pro-life is making sure there are safety nets in place to make sure families are not just existing, but given a chance to succeed. That means making sure wrap-around services that include housing security, healthy food options and grocery stores, fully-funded public education and livable wages are in place at all times.
You can not advocate for the gutting of programs like Planned Parenthood who provide basic maternal and reproductive healthcare services to the most vulnerable populations in this country, and say you are for the average American family. We rely on these clinics and programs to sustain it.