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Reproductive freedom rally held in Flint

Featured photo: Speakers at the rally were, from left to right: Katherine Clark, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Dan Kildee, David Leyton (speaking), Mini Timmaraju, Ashley Prew and (and not shown) Paula Thornton Greear.

Written and photos by L. M. Land

A rally was held on September 5, 2025 at the Flint Farmer’s Market to announce their support for Kristin McDonald Rivet’s bid for Dan Kildee’s seat in Congress and in support of reproductive rights for women.  The speakers were dynamic and passionate in support of both.

Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, laid the informational groundwork for the rally.

“Abortion is on the ballot once again. Donald Trump will sign the national abortion ban” she explained, and the Congressional Republicans will push a national abortion ban and a contraception ban.  “The ban will have no exceptions”  in regards to saving the mother’s life, forcing victims of rape or incest to carry a child, your right to use contraception and IVF will also become illegal.  The government plans to keep track of and prosecute women suspected of having an abortion for any reason.

To clarify, in medical terminology, an abortion can be when there is a health issue with the developing fetus or the mother. This could include miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and many other life-threatening pregnancy issues.

In conversation with the Courier after the rally, Timmaraju confirmed that there will be no reproductive limitations for men in the proposal.

Also, if the national abortion ban passes, it will be interpreted as a success, and losses of other rights are likely to follow.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton spoke before the crowd.

In an emotional talk, Ashley Prew, chair of the Genesee Co. Democratic Party, told her personal story, making it clearer why the Democratic speakers at the rally were so impassioned about this cause.

Prew married in 2014, becoming pregnant a year later. At seven weeks, she experienced severe abdominal pain and bleeding. She learned in the ER that she had an ectopic pregnancy.+ Prew was heartbroken, but understood that “Without an abortion, I would have died in 2015, my husband would have been a 29-year-old widower, and my two children would not exist.”

“Should I have had to report the reason for my abortion to the government?” Prew continued.  “Should I be concerned that I would not have been believed and would be prosecuted? If anti-choice politicians win seats in Congress, they will enact a federal abortion ban. We could lose the freedom to seek medical care and our right to privacy in Michigan. We’re lucky right now here, we have a state government that respects a woman’s rights to make our own medical decisions. But we cannot let those in federal positions take that away from us.”

Ectoptic pregnancies are not uncommon.  According to several CDC reports: “Ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of pregnancy-related death during the first trimester. Women who have one ectopic pregnancy are at increased risk for another such pregnancy and for future infertility.”

Another CDC report stated: “The most striking aspect of the ectopic-pregnancy mortality rates…is the variation by race. These racial differences persist over time for different age groups and regions. Black females are not only at higher risk of having an ectopic pregnancy, but are also at higher risk of dying if they have an ectopic pregnancy.”

There are many medical conditions that can lead to an abortion, all of which will be illegal to treat under the proposed abortion ban. Physicians could be prosecuted for saving women’s lives.

David Leyton, Genesee County prosecutor, said: “It is my top duty to protect the health and safety of the citizens of Genesee County, and that’s why in 2022 after the egregious U.S. Supreme Court decision… I was the first elected prosecutor in the state of Michigan to state firmly and clearly that I will never prosecute a woman [for an abortion].

“I was proud to support Proposition 3*…we will not go back.”  Leyton continued. “We support reproductive rights and a woman’s right to make a personal decision affecting her own personal health care.”

Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, and Congressman Dan Kildee also expressed their support for Proposition 3 and Rivet.

Rivet started strong, saying: “We are here in Flint to reassert what just should be a fact: our bodies, our choice.  No politician, no extremist, has the right to make our health care decisions.  [Know] that we will not be quiet or stop fighting until the right for abortion is permanently in federal law.”

Rivet is the mother of six children, four of whom are daughters. She pointed out that they have fewer rights now than she had at the same age. She also shared moving personal stories that medical professionals and women have shared with her.

In conclusion, U.S. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Massachusetts, was a dynamic speaker who also spoke about other issues such as safety in our schools.

Clark is one of only two women to ever serve as Whip, and is the highest-ranking woman in Congressional leadership.

“Here in the heartland, Michigan is the heartbeat of our democracy in 2024,”  Clark declared.

+An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilized egg implants, or gets stuck, in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus.  The “tubes” have no elasticity and are only 1 mm wide inside the tube. As the egg grows the tube will burst.  There is no way to save the fertilized egg as it will not have a source of nutrition in the tube and there is no room for its expansion (only the uterus expands and creates a placenta to nourish the developing embryo). The mother has a high death risk if the tube bursts.

*Michigans Proposal 3 is the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative that passed on the 2022 ballot.

Read more:

www.kristenmcdonaldrivet.com
https://katherineclark.house.gov/biography
https://www.miplannedparenthood.org/team/paula-thornton-greearhttps://reproductivefreedomforall.org/about/leadership-board/mini-timmaraju/
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00035709.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00014677.htm
https://www.webmd.com/baby/pregnancy-ectopic-pregnancy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560521/

 

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