September 15, 2022

1pm - 2pm

FREE for IMLA Members

Preemption:  Protecting Abortion at the Local Level

This session examines the current patchwork of state laws governing of abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This session will discuss what can be done at the local level to protect abortion access, both in states have restricted the right and those that have moved to enshrine it. Finally, this session will discuss how to integrate local communities into local efforts to further abortion justice.

Speakers: LiJia Gong, Jenny Dodson Mistry, Winnie Ye

LiJia Gong is the Policy and Legal Director at Local Progress, a network of over 1300 progressive local elected officials. She leads the development of Local Progress’ policy and research capacity to support members and drives the development and growth of national program areas. LiJia is an attorney with over a decade of experience in policy, litigation, and political strategy. Prior to joining Local Progress, she served as Counsel at Public Rights Project, an organization that empowers local and state governments to advance civil rights, worker and consumer rights, and environmental justice. LiJia has worked on the 2018 campaign to re-elect Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and served as a law clerk for Judge Kiyo Matsumoto of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Prior to becoming a lawyer, LiJia worked as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Jenny Dodson Mistry (she/her) is the Deputy Director of Partnerships at the National Institute for Reproductive Health. She leads NIRH’s work to support organizations and officials working on the local level to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice, including by spearheading the biennial Local Reproductive Freedom Index. She also supports proactive state policy work. Prior to this role, Jenny worked at SEEDS – Access Changes Everything to address barriers to high quality educational and professional opportunities for low-income students. Jenny is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received her MPH in Health Policy from Columbia University.

Winnie Ye is the Senior State Strategies Manager at All* Above All and All* Above All Action Fund. In this role, Winnie collaborates with our amazing campaign partners to create bold and innovative campaigns that usher in proactive policy change, build the leadership and power of people of color, and shift the culture around abortion at every level—in community, at city hall, the legislature, the ballot, and beyond. Prior to joining All* Above All, Winnie worked at the National Institute for Reproductive Health where she tracked and analyzed proactive reproductive health, rights, and justice legislation and provided strategic guidance and technical assistance to partner organizations.