Special Event!
A Blue Haven
How Red State Abortion Bans Affect New Mexico
Thursday, September 26
5 PM Pacific, 6 PM Mountain, 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern
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“Red state politics bleed into every blue state in the country.” – Jess Piper, Executive Director for Blue Missouri and host of the podcast, “Dirt Road Democrat”
Join our four panelists, Jessica Piper, Dr. Eve Espey, Sue Stetekee and Shannon Brewer, for a deep dive into the abortion scene in New Mexico and beyond. New Mexico is a blue haven in a wilderness of red states. In the year after the Dobbs decision, abortions in New Mexico have more than tripled. In 2023, seventy percent of all abortions in New Mexico were provided to patients from Texas, with a small percentage coming from Oklahoma and Arizona. Our panelists will discuss how the increased caseload affects OB/gyn care for New Mexicans, what women lose when they lose access to abortion in a state, how N.M.’s Legislature and governor factor into our role as a regional haven for abortion care, and what could change in New Mexico if Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez loses his re-election bid to fetal personhood advocate Yvette Herrell. |
Our Reproductive Rights Panel
Jessica Piper - Executive Director of Blue Missouri
Jess is a fierce advocate for rural communities and public schools. She was an American literature teacher for 16 years and decided to run for a legislative seat in Missouri’s state House in 2022. Although she lost the race, she continues her activism. She is the Executive Director of Blue Missouri and writes a substack called "The View from Rural Missouri." |
Eve Espey, MD MPH, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Ob/Gyn and Family Planning Fellowship Director at the University of New Mexico.
Dr. Espey’s long and distinguished career dedicated to improving women’s healthcare in New Mexico includes directing projects to reduce maternal mortality from obstetric hemorrhage and to implement immediate postpartum Long-Acting Reversible Contraception in hospitals throughout the state. The main focus of her clinical practice is family planning. A researcher and an educator, Dr. Espy has published numerous articles on contraception, abortion, and medical education and received many awards. In 2015, she addressed the United Nations on intimate partner violence against Native American women. |
Shannon Brewer, Executive Director Las Cruces Women’s Health Organization
Shannon Brewer worked nearly half her life at what became Mississippi’s last abortion clinic — whose lawsuit against a statewide ban at 15 weeks prompted the U.S. Supreme Court’s monumental decision eradicating Roe v. Wade. As a result, her clinic closed its doors for good and she moved to Las Cruces, N.M., about 40 miles north of El Paso, because of its proximity to Texas and its lack of abortion care. Her clinic, the Las Cruces Women’s Health Organization has now been up and running for two years. |
Sue Steketee - Former Director of Surgical Services, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
Sue has been involved in abortion care in New Mexico for over 25 years. She was trained as a teacher and taught for 10 years. She spent several years involved in small businesses. In 1989 Sue became the Executive Director of a nonprofit, Abortion and Pregnancy Testing Clinic. In 1996, following arson attacks, APT merged with Planned Parenthood. Sue worked for 20 years including as the Director of New Mexico Surgical Services for Planned Parenthood. Sue will share the post Roe impacts on abortion care in New Mexico. |
