Content Note: This article discusses sensitive topics, including sexual abuse, irregular pregnancies and personal experiences related to abortion restrictions which some may find difficult to read.
Last week, a crowd gathered at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema for a big premiere but they didn’t come for the popcorn and a new movie. Instead, what drew them to the iconic theatre was the launch of a movement: repro46, a new organization dedicated to fostering understanding and support for reproductive healthcare freedom in the state.
Oklahoma’s abortion landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years. Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, state lawmakers have enacted some of the country’s strictest abortion bans. With limited options and growing challenges to healthcare access, repro46’s founders saw an urgent need to spark conversations about these policies’ far-reaching impacts on health, families, and economic security.
The Tulsa event was the second of two launch gatherings, following an initial kickoff in Oklahoma City the night before. These events weren’t political rallies but opportunities to bridge the deep divisions around reproductive healthcare that now define Oklahoma.
A Pathway Forward
Board chair Amy McLaughlin Gray explained that repro46 seeks to cut through the noise and engage Oklahomans in open dialogue about reproductive healthcare.
“Every Oklahoman should be free to make decisions about pregnancy that are best for them, their family, and their circumstances without interference from politicians,” said Gray, who identified as a Republican in a press release announcing the repro46 launch. “We’ve been here before in history where there has been forward motion and pushback. It’s now time to band together and link arms to build a pathway forward to reproductive freedom in our state.”
Gray introduced Janet Levit, a professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law and the university’s former dean, provost, and interim president. Now an executive consultant for Repro46 and vice chair of the board for the Center for Reproductive Rights, Levit brings legal expertise to the fight for reproductive healthcare access.
Levit outlined the organization’s three-pronged approach: “We are about to launch a series of what we hope will be 100 small living room conversations. We’re calling them ‘Open House, Open Minds’ conversations. We’re talking five, six, seven people, friends, but also people outside of our echo chambers who can come together and learn about abortion care and reproductive rights. And the goal is to really move people, not necessarily change minds, but move people from a place of judgment to empathy.”
Levit then discussed plans for a robust communications campaign and a series of educational events, like this launch, to unite everyday Oklahomans across party lines. She stressed that repro46 is focused on people and community over politics. Unlike its sister organization, We Are Rising, a 501(c)(4) political advocacy group, repro46 is a non-political nonprofit with pending 501(c)(3) status.
After introducing repro46, Levit presented a panel featuring personal stories that illustrated why change is desperately needed. The panel included reproductive rights activist Hadley Duvall from Kentucky, native Oklahoman Magon Hoffman, and Oklahoma City OB/GYN Dr. Dana Stone.
“This Should Not Be the Reality in 2025”
Duvall, who some may remember for sharing her heartbreaking story at the Democratic National Convention and on the campaign trail with Kamala Harris, explained that when Roe v. Wade was overturned, she felt compelled to speak up so others could understand the law’s impact on women. Although she described herself as having “never been political ever in my life,” she was motivated to act after being contacted by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s campaign during his re-election.
The ad was a success (Link to Video / Content Warning: SA), leading to invitations from the Biden administration and the Harris campaign. But after a tough campaign season, she recalled: “I was very defeated. I didn’t know how to face all the people that were messaging me, asking me what’s next.”
Realizing she couldn’t do it alone, Duvall said she turned to the family she met along the campaign trail, who reminded her, “it’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be angry, but it’s not okay to quit.” She explained that she now speaks for those who are not yet ready to share their own stories.
“It’s what I was dealing with at home behind closed doors that people didn’t realize led me to almost needing an abortion. My body, 12 years old, couldn’t handle a pregnancy, and I just carried along in my bathroom,” she revealed. “And I still consider myself a lucky one. And that should not be the reality in 2025.”
“I speak for the MAGA Republicans, the red of the red and the blue of the blue. It doesn’t matter. We do this work for the people, not for the party, not for the politics,” Duvall continued. “If we can all agree on one thing, it’s that we don’t want a politician in the doctor’s office with us when we’re going through the most vulnerable and horrific time in our lives. And that’s why we speak.”
“I Thought I Was Going to Die”
Hoffman, a native Oklahoman and host of the podcast Letters to Our Daughters, shared a powerful personal account that highlighted the stakes of Oklahoma’s current system. After years of struggling with PCOS and infertility, her desired pregnancy turned into a nightmare when doctors discovered her unborn child had anencephaly, an incurable and fatal birth defect that threatened the pregnancy as well as Hoffman’s life. Before the Dobbs decision, such a diagnosis would have been legally and safely managed in Oklahoma with compassionate, medically guided care, allowing Hoffman to make the best decision for her health.
Her doctors told her she had two options: leave Oklahoma for an abortion or continue the pregnancy, knowing her baby would only receive comfort care before passing away. They assured her she did not need to decide immediately and even gave her what she thought was a personal contact card for follow-up. But when she called the next day, no one answered. For a full week, her care team dodged her calls. She later learned they were too afraid to speak directly, unsure of what they could legally say. Instead of helping her navigate the process, they left her to figure it out on her own.
Read More: Her pregnancy was non-viable and her life was at risk but Oklahoma Law Prevented an Abortion from Oklahoma Watch
Up until that moment, Hoffman had felt well cared for. But after leaving the office, it was as if she were on an island. With no support or guidance, she scrambled to find care out of state. The grueling process left her feeling abandoned and isolated as she contacted numerous facilities across multiple states, many of which were overbooked or unequipped to handle a case as rare as hers. Eventually, and luckily, she found a doctor in New Mexico willing and able to help, one of only two in the country who could.
“I remember sitting in the clinic and thinking, ‘I think I made it. I think I’m actually going to survive,’” Hoffman said.
In the weeks that followed, she carried the weight of that isolation. She believed that if people knew her story they would judge her. “I remember going to the grocery store and looking around, thinking, ‘These people would hate me if they knew what I did,’” she recalled.
Then, a small act of kindness shifted everything. When a FedEx driver delivered her daughter’s ashes, he hesitated, waiting at the door for her to answer when he didn’t have to, before handing over the package. “I saw where this was from, and I just couldn’t leave it on the doorstep,” he told her. At that moment, after so much abandonment, someone finally saw her pain. “That was truly the moment that I knew I was going to fight back,” Hoffman said.
“Doctors Are Afraid”
Dr. Dana Stone, an Oklahoma City OB/GYN, provided a sobering perspective on the current healthcare landscape. “It’s just heartbreaking that this happens, and that you didn’t have the support that we’ve always been able to give our patients,” she told the audience.
Dr. Stone explained that in the past, when patients presented with life-threatening conditions, such as a fetus with anencephaly or other fatal genetic abnormalities, her hospital followed a clear process. “We had a system in our hospital where we would get the physician and two other physicians that would certify, ‘Yes, this meets the criteria,’ and we would just take care of our patients at our own place,” she recalled.
But today, restrictive laws have tied doctors’ hands, contributing to Oklahoma's dismal ranking of 48th in the nation for women's health and reproductive care.
“We’re really cautious about making sure women understand their birth control options,” Dr. Stone said. “Because we know that if we do try to take care of our patients, even if we have the strength and courage to push up against the law, we can’t do things by ourselves.”
She went on to describe how essential support from anesthesiologists, nurses, and hospital administrators now creates significant barriers to care. Dr. Stone echoed the frustration of many medical professionals who have witnessed a dramatic decline in healthcare access. “I see patients who are worried that if something goes wrong in a pregnancy, they might not be able to get emergency abortion care. Doctors and nurses are fearful that they’ll face prosecution for providing urgent, life-saving abortion care. As a doctor, I know that many things can go wrong in pregnancy. Politicians, with zero training in medicine, shouldn’t be standing in the way of doctors providing the care Oklahomans need.”
A Long Fight, But One That Starts Now
As the evening concluded, speakers and attendees reflected on the complexity of reproductive rights, not as a black-and-white issue, but as a collection of deeply personal stories affecting real people. These stories showed the importance of sharing compassion now, not waiting until a personal tragedy touches a daughter, sister, or friend we know when Oklahomans are currently suffering and need solutions now. While the fight to change policy and votes is a larger battle for another time and another organization, the work to change hearts and minds must begin now. 🔵
To learn more about repro46, visit repro46.org or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
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