Inside UNCENSORED: A Night of Reproductive Justice at UNGA
Last Friday night, while world leaders convened uptown at the United Nations General Assembly, a different kind of diplomacy unfolded in an intimate NYC living room downtown.
Over 200 people RSVP’d to UNCENSORED: Feminists on Repro at UNGA—a grassroots event co-hosted by FEMINIST and Repro Uncensored, a nonprofit organization tracking digital censorship of reproductive health information. There was no big budget, no corporate sponsors, and no phone service. Just raw, unfiltered truth-telling about the reproductive rights crisis in America.
Why This Space Mattered
When the United States boycotted its own Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, it sent a clear message: this government would rather avoid accountability than face the evidence of its human rights violations. The 200+ people who showed up proved there’s a dire need for alternative spaces where these truths can be heard.
The seven women on our panel had submitted shadow reports to the UN, documenting how abortion bans constitute human rights violations. If the U.S. government wouldn’t listen in Geneva, we’d make sure their research was heard in New York.
The Conversation
FEMINIST Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director Ky Polanco moderated the panel, leading us through an hour-long exploration of the realities of reproductive rights today—the challenges we’re facing, the criminalization at stake, and the strategies being built to fight back.
The conversation was livestreamed, allowing thousands to tune in from around the world. In a particularly beautiful moment, a young Gen Z guest from Scotland who was in the room shared that her mother was watching from home in Scotland—a reminder that FEMINIST serves as a bridge, providing these critical conversations both in person and online for our global community.
For over an hour, advocates shared the reality of living and organizing in post-Dobbs America:
Qiana Arnold from The Holy HOE Institute in Texas and Diamond Cunningham from the Louisiana Abortion Fund joined virtually, speaking about the devastating realities in their states—the Black maternal health crisis, what it means to live under a total abortion ban, and how their communities are building resilience despite these restrictions.
Kulsoom Ijaz from Pregnancy Justice detailed how women across the country are being criminalized for pregnancy outcomes—arrested for miscarriages, prosecuted for stillbirths, surveilled throughout their pregnancies. The message is clear: you have fewer rights the moment you become pregnant.
Elizabeth Estrada from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice brought her 15+ years of experience at the intersection of immigrant rights and reproductive justice, highlighting how these movements are inseparable.
Floriane Borel from the Guttmacher Institute shared critical data: nearly 1 in 5 patients now leave their state for abortion care—double the pre-Dobbs rate. She discussed how anti-rights groups are actively working to undermine public trust in science and redefine what counts as “evidence.” Bethany Van Kampen Saravia from Ipas US spoke about a human right we rarely discuss—freedom of movement. She shared the stark reality of crossing borders for healthcare, the surveillance systems operating at checkpoints, and how forcing people to travel hundreds of miles for care is itself a human rights violation.
Israel Cook from Jane’s Due Process, the only abortion fund focused exclusively on young people, shared that since Dobbs, they’ve helped over 200 young Texans leave the state for care. In 2024 alone, they received over 3,000 calls and distributed more than 5,000 reproductive health kits.
A Conversation Across Borders
New York State Assembly Member Amanda Septimo joined us for a powerful keynote conversation with FEMINIST Co-Founder Aisha Becker-Burrowes. As a Dominican-American leader from the South Bronx, Amanda brought unique insights into how reproductive restrictions connect across borders.
She spoke about the total abortion ban in the Dominican Republic and how diaspora organizing is creating cross-border strategies for change. Her rallying cry to the room: “Find one way to create impact. That’s the best way to start.”
A Live Performance for Movement and Community
The evening closed a performance by Madame Gandhi, who shared her own story of going viral for free-bleeding during a marathon while on her period. Her music brought everyone to their feet—a reminder that reproductive justice is about joy, liberation, and the full spectrum of human experience, not just policy battles.
What Made This Different
This wasn’t a typical UNGA side event. There were no panels at hotels, no branded backdrops, no carefully curated talking points. It was creators and artists alongside grassroots organizers. Abortion fund volunteers sitting next to researchers. People new to reproductive rights learning alongside movement veterans. It was intergenerational, intersectional, and intensely intentional.
While official diplomatic channels were blocks away discussing human rights in abstract terms, we were in a living room hearing directly from people experiencing those violations—and more importantly, from the advocates building solutions despite government failure.
The Work Continues
The dire need for spaces like this is clear. When over 200 people show up to a grassroots event with no budget or big brand backing, it tells us something: communities are hungry for unfiltered truth and genuine connection.
At FEMINIST, we reach over 25 million people monthly, but moments like these remind us that real change happens when we create intimate spaces for honest conversation—spaces where the people most impacted by injustice can speak their truth, share their data, and build solidarity across movements.
The U.S. government may have boycotted its human rights review, but the movement isn’t waiting for official channels to care. We’re building our own spaces, conducting our own research, and creating our own accountability mechanisms.
