Jocelyn for Women's Emergency Network

I grew up outside Philadelphia with a lot more reproductive freedom than my grandmother ever had, and a mom who fiercely believed in my right to make decisions about my own body. When I was 13, my dermatologists wanted to put me on Accutane for my acne. My family decided birth control was a safer bet and probably just as effective, but no doctor would prescribe it because I was "too young." So my mom took me to a women's health clinic instead. The people there were the kindest I'd ever met in healthcare, and they became my doctors for years. It stuck with me that when the system lets you down, having somewhere to turn changes everything.

Then I moved to Miami and, in 2023, became a mom. Pregnancy was one of the most all-consuming things I've ever been through, and it's a big part of why this cause matters so much to me. Becoming a mother should be a choice. What happens to your body during pregnancy is healthcare, plain and simple.

But it wasn't until 2024, when I got involved in Amendment 4, the ballot measure to undo Florida's near-total abortion ban, that I really understood what moving here meant. I'd grown up taking my rights for granted, and now I lived in a state that had taken them away. Amendment 4 is also how I found WEN. It won over 57% of the vote, which would have been enough in almost any other state, but Florida requires 60%, so it failed. That loss is when it clicked for me what WEN makes possible: real access to care, right now, for people who have nowhere else to go. More than 500 of them every month.

I think about my daughter growing up with the kind of care I had, on her own terms. We still have to change the law. Until we do, WEN is the difference between getting care and going without for hundreds of people every month. This is personal for me, and I'd be so grateful if you'd read more about their work below and consider donating.

_______________________________________

I am very excited to be a champion for the Women's Emergency Network (WEN) this Give Miami Day! 

WEN is a Florida nonprofit dedicated to helping people access abortion care and other essential reproductive healthcare services, regardless of their income, immigration status, or ZIP code.

Each month, WEN assists over 500 Floridians facing financial, logistical, and systemic barriers to care. The organization helps cover the cost of abortion procedures, ultrasounds, labs, contraception, and follow-up care while also providing practical support such as transportation, lodging, rideshare, gas, and airfare.

This work is especially urgent as Florida’s six-week ban forces thousands of Floridians to travel to other states for care and navigate multiple appointments. By working closely with clinics, hospitals, and reproductive healthcare partners, WEN helps ensure that Floridians are not left to navigate these barriers alone.

I am asking you to support WEN this Give Miami Day because access to reproductive healthcare should not depend on how much money someone has, where they live, or whether they can afford to travel. Your donation will help Floridians receive timely, compassionate care and make decisions about their bodies, health, and futures with dignity and support.