Hi friends,

I hope you’re having a great Mother’s Day, however you’re observing and whomever you’re honoring today. I’m incredibly grateful for my own mom, for my sister-in-law, for all my friends who are becoming moms and parenting little ones, and for my colleagues in Congress who are championing policies that uplift kids and families!

Today is about recognizing all the mothers and mother figures in our lives who fight day in and day out for their families. And honoring their strength shouldn’t be a political issue - after all, people on both sides of the aisle are celebrating their loved ones today.

But (you knew there’d be a but)... to be perfectly honest, seeing spring flowers, inspirational quotes, and heartfelt cards can feel pretty hollow when so many of my Republican colleagues are fighting to strip away fundamental rights from moms and women everywhere every other day of the year.

This Mother’s Day, we need to reevaluate the ways we’re honoring mothers and start thinking about truly supporting them in all their decisions, providing resources so that they can live full and equal lives in this country.

We can start by making sure that people can become parents when and how they choose - or if they choose not to become parents, supporting them in those decisions too. Everyone deserves access to reproductive care as well as safe and legal abortion care.

And for those who decide that being a parent is the right choice for them, we need to offer support before, during, and after pregnancy in ways that we are absolutely not doing right now.

I’m talking about critical resources like:

✅ Paid family leave
✅ Quality and affordable child care
✅ A predictable work schedule
✅ Strong public schools
✅ Affordable higher education
✅ Accessible health care, including abortion care
✅ A safe, affordable, place to live and raise a family
✅ Reliable transportation
✅ Access to healthy food, including formula for their little ones
✅ Access to the medication they need, without worrying about shortages or astronomical prices

And SO much more. Without these basic human supports, way too many mothers are forced into lower-paying jobs, or they’re pushed out of the workforce entirely. They are more likely to struggle to provide for their families and face higher rates of poverty.

Mothers are doing the incredibly important and difficult work of raising the next generation - all while my Republican colleagues are making it harder for them every chance they get.

But I’m going to keep fighting - until all moms have the support they need. I'd love to hear your thoughts on all this - feel free to reply directly to this email if you've got anything to share.

-Sara

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs
California’s 51st District

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs
California’s 51st District