Nancy Davis Turned Her Pain Into Purpose & A Fight For Reproductive Rights

When Louisiana’s Nancy Davis was denied a birth termination she lawfully had a right to receive, she decided that no other women or families would be left to deal with similar traumas alone. The Nancy Davis Foundation was founded in 2022 in hopes of helping Americans navigate the war on Roe v. Wade rights across the country. Davis and her partner, who are parents to three children, were excited to learn they would be adding another member to their family. Weeks into the pregnancy, the baby was diagnosed with a lethal condition called acrania, which is the absence of a fetal skull. With a more than 90% chance that their baby would not be born if carried to full term, Davis and her partner made the decision to terminate her pregnancy. However, due to the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade in the state of Louisiana, their doctor broke the news that he would not be able to perform the procedure. What followed was a 1,300-mile journey to New York City, where Davis could safely receive an abortion due to the fact that her 16-week pregnancy was deemed “medically futile.” Maternal health in America is always a burning topic, and even more so for Black women, who continue to die during childbirth at alarming rates. For Davis, this is a major concern and the reason she has told her story. “This has changed my life, and I am committed to fighting to ensure other people don’t have to go through what I went through,” Davis said via the foundation’s website. “I want to reimagine what is possible for our communities, centering those historically left behind. Our right to abortion was stolen from us. But a better, more equitable, future is ours — and I know we can build it together.”

It’s encouraging to see that our client Nancy Davis — who was denied her right to in-state health care to receive a medically necessary abortion — met with the First Lady and other women to share how abortion bans impacted them. Thank you for telling your stories. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/vs7HaKhJVM

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 22, 2023

Davis recently met with first lady Dr. Jill Biden to talk about the damaging effects of the new abortion laws, and on June 22 she was named the recipient of Lifting Louisiana’s RBG Fierce Advocacy on Behalf of Women award.