About

Patient Forward’s co-founders, Erika Christensen and Garin Marschall, experienced a later abortion ban when they needed to end Erika’s pregnancy in 2016. Through this experience, Erika and Garin became patient advocates and played a critical role in passing New York’s Reproductive Health Act in 2019.

During this formative advocacy experience, the two established Patient Forward, and over time have expanded to working in multiple states and at the national level to change hearts and minds, improve policy, and expand access to compassionate later abortion care.

Erika and Garin's journey from personal tragedy to activism underscores their dedication to ensuring that all individuals have access to the reproductive health care they need, free from stigma and legal barriers.

In 2025, Bonyen Lee-Gilmore joined Patient Forward as the organization’s Chief of External Affairs. Bonyen has dedicated her reproductive health and rights career to state-based work at two Planned Parenthood affiliates and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), as well as the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH). She brings over 15 years of communications, media, and marketing experience.