For GYNECA’s 2022 Fall Event, we hosted guest speaker Davina Fankhauser, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Fertility Within Reach, a non-profit whose mission is to “increase access to fertility treatment and fertility preservation.” The event, organized by Kelly Peterson, Jaia Wingard, and GYNECA’s Outreach team opened with a productive discussion on the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision and the nationwide reaction it sparked. Barnumbia students from North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland and more considered the probability of life-saving reproductive healthcare being illegalized in their hometowns and how the decision has affected their personal lives.

After the open discussion, Fankhauser spoke in detail about the legal effects brought with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She also cleared up some common misconceptions about the Supreme Court decision, describing specific life-or-death situations in which abortion laws can determine who lives and who dies in the name of protecting the fetus. Finally, Fankhauser concluded by breaking down Fertility Within Reach’s advocacy efforts, which focus on emailing and speaking with state representatives directly, describing the fatal consequences of banning certain fertility treatments. Most importantly, before a brief Q&A, she ended her time with us by explaining that anyone can and should reach out to their own state representatives when they they find themselves unhappy with state legislation, and in times of injustice like the present, it is our responsibility to join and support advocacy efforts like Fertility Within Reach. Life saving change is only an email away.