Kim Ahern Releases Plan for New Reproductive Justice Unit in the Attorney General’s Office
June 18, 2026 (PROVIDENCE, RI) — Kim Ahern, Democratic candidate for Rhode Island Attorney General, today released a plan for a new Reproductive Justice Unit within the Attorney General’s Office. Modeled after successful efforts in Massachusetts and Connecticut, this Unit will be responsible for litigating against any intrusion into Rhode Islanders’ bodily autonomy, spearheading a public information campaign on reproductive rights, creating a new legal helpline, and coordinating with local and national nonprofit and advocacy groups.
“We are in the midst of the most significant and coordinated attack on reproductive rights in my lifetime, and the Attorney General’s Office must be the first line of defense for Rhode Islanders,” said Kim Ahern. “That will be the mission of this new Reproductive Justice Unit – to stand up against any effort to undermine our bodily autonomy. Rhode Island women deserve an Attorney General who is committed to leading the fight for our fundamental freedoms, and that is the type of AG I will be.”
As legal counsel to Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo in 2019, Kim Ahern helped shepherd the passage of Rhode Island’s Reproductive Privacy Act, enshrining the protections of Roe v. Wade into state law. Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court four years ago this month.
Kim previously served for nearly a decade in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office, prosecuting more than a thousand cases under the past three AGs.
“As a physician and longtime advocate for women’s health, I have seen firsthand how important it is to have public officials who will defend access to reproductive care with both urgency and expertise,” said Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, former Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island. “Kim’s proposal recognizes that reproductive justice is about more than one service – it is about protecting the full range of care people need, from abortion access to family planning and maternal health.”
“All people in our Rhode Island community should have confidence that our access to evidence-based care, to shared decision-making in the privacy of the exam room, and to having autonomy in the decisions that affect our lives and our bodies will never be challenged, infringed, or revoked. Kim’s proposal will provide the resources and opportunities for all Rhode Islanders to have safe, effective, medically necessary care, no matter what is going on on the federal level,” said Dr. Michelle Forcier, Professor of Medical Sciences at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and former Director of the Sex, Gender, and Reproductive Justice Clinic at Lifespan. “I’m proud to live and work in a state that defends the rights of all Rhode Islanders to access high-quality, affordable healthcare. We need leaders like Kim who understand the needs of our diverse community and have demonstrated their commitment to protecting those rights.”
“We are in a moment when states have to be proactive, not reactive, in defending reproductive freedom,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, Consultant and former Executive Director of Reproductive Equity Now, an organization focused on making access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care a reality for all people in New England. “Kim’s proposal for a new Reproductive Justice Unit is the right approach to help close gaps in access, support providers and patients, and make sure Rhode Islanders have a place to turn when their rights or care are threatened.”
More information about Kim’s proposal can be found on her website at https://ahernforag.com/issues/
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