After She Was Denied A Medically-Necessary Abortion, This 29-Year-Old Mom Decided To Run For Office In A Fight To Reclaim The Right To Choose
Note: This post contains mentions of pregnancy loss.
In 2022, Tennessee woman Allie Phillips was excited to learn she was pregnant with her second daughter. Phillips had been raising her first daughter as a single mom for several years before meeting and marrying her now-husband, and they were thrilled to be having a child together. She'd even picked out a name: Miley Rose.
Then, at a routine appointment 19 weeks into her pregnancy, Phillips and her husband learned that their unborn daughter had severe congenital defects that would make her incompatible with life. Her doctor warned that continuing the pregnancy could put Phillips' health at risk and that if she carried Miley Rose to term, the baby would most likely be either stillborn or die shortly after birth.
In a tearful TikTok video, Phillips shared the news with her followers, saying, "Unfortunately, we've made the decision to terminate my pregnancy."
But Phillips' home state of Tennessee began enforcing its trigger ban on abortions in 2022 shortly after the fall of Roe v. Wade, which meant she would have to travel out of state to receive this essential healthcare.
Tennessee has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country, only adding an allowance in 2023 for the procedure to be performed if doctors use their "reasonable medical judgment" in cases where the pregnancy could result in death or major injury to the pregnant person. The law also has no exemptions for cases of sexual assault or incest.
Phillips had to travel to New York to access an abortion, a trip that her family was not prepared to pay for. She raised funds for the trip with a GoFundMe, and due to financial constraints, she had to travel there alone. In testimony before the Senate Budget Committee, Phillips said, "I had to start a GoFundMe effort online to help cover the unexpected medical and travel costs. Without the help of strangers on the internet, I would not have had the freedom to leave Tennessee and to make my own medical decisions, rights that my state denied me."
She went on to discuss how difficult it was to go through that procedure alone and far from home, saying, "I went into surgery alone. And I sat in recovery alone. I grieved her loss alone in a city I've never been in, far away from the comfort of my home, my family, and my friends. No one should be treated this way. Not in Tennessee and not in the other 13 states that now criminalize abortion, the standard of care that I needed in my situation."
Now, 29-year-old Phillips is running for a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, positioning herself as an advocate for women's rights, better education, gun control, and the LGBTQ+ community. Phillips is also one of seven women who filed a lawsuit against her state after being denied medically necessary abortions.
On her campaign website, she writes, "I’m running because I was denied the right to basic healthcare. I’m running because I don’t want any other family to experience the pain my family did."
Phillips told BuzzFeed that she hadn't been politically active in the past, but her experience spurred her to take action. "I would go out and vote in the Presidential elections, but that was about it. After Trump became president, I started to pay more attention to what was going on in politics, but I still never really became 'involved.'"
"I just had my opinions and would share them online. I would participate in Women's and BLM marches if I could, but outside of that, I wasn't too involved."
And she also shared where she found the courage to share her painful story about being denied healthcare. "I have been on TikTok since 2020, sharing different aspects of my life. I documented a weight loss journey after receiving a gastric sleeve, and that's what gained me the bulk of my following. I had roughly 275k followers when I posted the video of my pregnancy diagnosis. It was natural for me to share that moment in my life, but I continued to document the experience because I knew people needed to see it."
"I was vocal about the overturn of Roe and Tennessee placing a near-total ban across the state. I wanted people to see what it looks like to be a woman in a banned state. I wanted people to see the reality of what happens when you restrict healthcare access. I documented every moment of it because it needed to be documented."
But Phillips isn't stopping there. She told BuzzFeed how she found the resources to start her campaign for her state's House of Representatives. "I started by reaching out and meeting with current and past representatives and asked them for advice on how to start a campaign. I did have a lot of help from my local county party (Montgomery County Democratic Party), but other than that, I was pretty much on my own at the beginning."
"Once I was able to learn about new resources and organizations, it truly helped a ton more. But at the very beginning, it was me and maybe a few other people who believed in me."
Phillips also shared some things she's learned in her campaign so far. "Politics is not for the weak. It's a very demanding world, and once you think you're in a good place, you're quickly reminded that you can do more. I've learned how many local non-profits and other organizations there are that partake in politics. I never knew any of these existed before."
"I've learned how kind and cruel someone can be in the same breath, and I've also learned that trust is hard to come by. It's a very lonely feeling the majority of the time because not many people can relate to you. Unless they've run for office before, they can't comprehend the feelings you have."
Additionally, she shared how she's handling the inevitable right-wing backlash to her campaign. "The only backlash I see comes from social media, mostly Twitter (X). It's a lot of keyboard warriors who want to discourage and derail me from my end goal."
Unbelievable, women of TN deserve better, and come Roevember, we're going to make our voices heard. https://t.co/dw5g9qZ5Xv
— Allie Phillips (@allie4tn) May 31, 2024
"I mostly just ignore the comments and move on with my day. Sometimes I do respond if I feel they are spreading harmful misinformation, especially when it comes to abortion care."
Finally, she said, "The political system here in Tennessee (and maybe everywhere) wasn't designed for people like me to run. When I say people like me, I mean young, female, mom, and working class. I'm a working mom whose family lives paycheck to paycheck. I'm not independently wealthy or have a ton of spare time. I'm juggling two jobs, being a mom, and running for office."
"It's not easy, but it's going to be worth it in the end. Despite all the odds being stacked against me, I look at the bigger picture and what good I can bring to Tennessee and that's what keeps me going."
Follow Phillips on TikTok and Instagram, and learn more about her campaign here.
BuzzFeed supports a person’s right to an abortion. If you, like us, feel impassioned about abortion rights, learn more or find a local fund to donate to here.
