SHREVEPORT, La. ( KTAL/KMSS ) — During the tour, a Louisiana mother shares how she went through childbirth before; however, the pain during her miscarriage was ‘undeniably the worst pain’ she’s ever felt in her life.

National nonprofit Free & Just “Ride to Decide” bus tour arrived in Shreveport for women to share their stories and address the need for better reproductive care. The event was hosted at Shreveport’s former Hope Medical Group for Women , which provided abortion care for 42 years before being forced to close due to Louisiana’s strict abortion ban.

“I saw firsthand what it is like to live under a strict abortion ban,” Kaitlyn Joshua of Baton Rouge was turned away from two different hospitals while heavily bleeding and suffering a miscarriage.

Joshua shared that in 2022, she was overjoyed to find out she was pregnant.

“We were excited to add to our family! Unfortunately, that fall, around 11 weeks pregnant, I miscarried, and when I was seeking medical healthcare,” recalls Joshua, “I was unable to get that care, and that was a direct impact of the Dobbs decision coming down.”

Joshua recalls she went to two hospitals, and physicians could not make eye contact with her, and questioned if she was pregnant, saying ‘it looked like a cyst.’ Joshua was left to pass her miscarriage for weeks without medical help.

“You’re at your lowest point, super vulnerable, bleeding profusely, and no one would even tell you in our first-world country what was going on. And I just thought that was so wild at that moment.”

“Since the overturn of Roe v Wade, Shreveport Pregnancy Center has been a place of refuge.   Women who felt abortion was their only option have found the tools and courage needed to choose life for their preborn babies. Instead of making rash decisions about their pregnancy, more women are thinking about their options,’ stated Kelly Christine, Founder of Shreveport Pregnancy Clinic .

A mother from Shreveport, April Smalley, sought abortion care at Hope Medical Group for Women when she was in her early twenties.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

KLFY Daily Digest

“When I was in my early 20s, I was an alcoholic with a cocaine addiction, and so, I was very grateful to be able to come to the clinic where we’re here today,” shares Smalley.

She details that the decision made her into the mother she is now.

“We deserve the right to have access to and privacy about our own decisions about our bodies, decisions that should be made by women’s autonomy, not by lawmakers,” says Smalley.

“The clinic where we are today has given women in the Shreveport area the opportunity to continue their lives. I want that for my friends and my family,” expresses Billy Anderson, an organizer with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice.

Noting that during the Louisiana legislative session this year, Anderson says, “They’re being very conservative. They’re taking away reproductive rights for women through legislation and other rights we need to have.”

He says he feels thankful the national tour stopped in Shreveport to further the discussion around reproductive freedom.

“We are on the frontlines of reproductive justice here in Louisiana, and it’s so energizing to see women, men, and families fighting to take our power back,” exclaims Joshua.

“Ride to Decide” will travel to Florida, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando to continue sharing their personal stories and fighting for women across America.

Latest News

• What is Teflon flu? The illness caused by non-stick pans
• HERE: National Chicken Wing Day deals for July 29
• Are you pronouncing ‘Auntie Anne’s’ wrong?
• Lake Charles man charged with rape after girl gives birth
• Kelly emerges as a top contender for Harris’s VP pick

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLFY.com.