National Bus Tour Stops in Shreveport, Stories of Denied Care in Light of Abortion Ban

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — The national nonprofit Free & Just “Ride to Decide” bus tour has arrived in Shreveport for women to share their stories and discuss the need for better reproductive care.

The event took place at the former Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, which provided abortion care for 42 years until it was forced to close due to Louisiana’s strict abortion ban.

“I’ve seen firsthand what it’s like to live under a strict abortion ban,” said Kaitlyn Joshua of Baton Rouge, who was turned away from two different hospitals after suffering heavy bleeding and a miscarriage.

Joshua shared that she was very happy in 2022 when she found out she was pregnant.

“We were excited to expand our family! Unfortunately, that fall, when I was about 11 weeks pregnant, I had a miscarriage and when I sought medical care,” Joshua recalled, “I was unable to get that care and that was a direct result of the Dobbs decision.”

Joshua remembers going to two hospitals, where doctors couldn’t make eye contact with her and asked if she was pregnant. They said it “looked like a cyst.” Joshua had to deal with her miscarriage for weeks without medical help.

“You’re at your lowest point, super vulnerable, bleeding profusely and no one in our first world country would even tell you what was going on. And I just thought that was so wild at the time.”

Joshua says she has had a miscarriage before, but the pain during the miscarriage was “without a doubt the worst pain” she has ever felt in her life.

“Since the overturning of Roe v Wade, Shreveport Pregnancy Center has been a sanctuary. Women who felt abortion was their only option have found the tools and courage needed to choose the lives of their unborn babies. Instead of making hasty decisions about their pregnancies, more women are considering their options,” said Kelly Christine, founder of Shreveport Pregnancy Clinic.

April Smalley, a Shreveport mother, sought abortion care at Hope Medical Group for Women in her early 20s.

“When I was in my early 20s, I was an alcoholic with a cocaine addiction, so I was very grateful to be able to come to the clinic we are in now,” Smalley said.

She explains that this decision made her the mother she is today.

“We deserve the right to have access and privacy over our own decisions about our bodies, decisions that should be made by women’s autonomy, not by legislators,” Smalley said.

“The clinic we’re at now has given women in the Shreveport area the opportunity to move forward with their lives. I want that for my friends and my family,” said Billy Anderson, an organizer with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice.

Anderson notes that during Louisiana’s legislative session this year, he says, “We’re very conservative. They’re taking away women’s reproductive rights through legislation and other rights that we need.”

He says he’s grateful the national tour stopped in Shreveport to further the conversation about reproductive freedom.

“We are on the frontlines of reproductive justice here in Louisiana, and it is so energizing to see women, men, and families fighting to take our power back,” Joshua exclaims.

“Ride to Decide” travels to Florida, Miami, Tampa and Orlando to continue sharing their personal stories and advocating for women across America.