BATON ROUGE – President Joe Biden addressed the nation for the annual state of the union. On the list of topics discussed was reproductive rights access. Nancy Davis, a reproductive rights advocate from Baton Rouge, was in the audience in Washington D.C.
Two years ago, Davis was told the child she was pregnant with had fatal abnormalities. But because of confusion with Louisiana law post Roe v. Wade, the abortion access she needed was not available.
Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision, legalized abortion. The ruling was overturned in 2022. Another law in Louisiana makes doctors subject to a prison sentence of up to 10 years if they preform an abortion and includes no exceptions for incest of rape.
It was that same law that led doctors in Davis’s case astray, preventing her from getting the health care she needed. Davis ended up having to travel out of state for the care. Later, lawmakers confirmed Davis’s case would have been eligible for the exemption.
“I am very honored to represent the voices of those who have faced, challenges in accessing health care, essential health care,” Davis said.
Thursday afternoon Nancy Davis spent the afternoon with First Lady Jill Biden and other reproductive rights advocates.
“Attending the State of the Union, it allows us to elevate these crucial issues on a nation platform and push for meaningful change,” Davis said.
Davis says despite the set backs, her organization the Nancy Davis Foundation is pushing for access for people in situations like hers.
